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HOLLISTER • SAN BENITO COUNTY

A New SV Media publication

Friday, November 17, 2017

sanbenito.com • Vol. 144, No. 46 • $1

Judge rules Dabo took $644K of trust cash FOUNDATION WINS LAWSUIT, $1.8 MILLION, BUT EXPECTS NO MONEY By Barry Holtzclaw Managing Editor

Robert Eliason

A San Benito County Superior Court judge on Monday, Nov. 13, ruled that Mitchell Dabo, president of the county Board of Education, illegally emptied nearly $644,000 in a private charitable trust for his own personal use. Superior Court Judge Marjorie L. Carter ordered Dabo to pay the Community Foundation for San Benito County—which had been promised money from the trust—$1.74 million in damages, plus an estimated $85,000 in attorney fees. “I’m glad it’s over— but we’re not going to see any of it,” said Gary Byrne, executive director of the Community Foundation, despite the court victory that ended a five-year HOLIDAY DEALS Valerie Kemp checks out a clothing rack at Western Roundup in downtown Hollister, owned by Jane Merrill, who organizes Vaquero Days.

➝ Dabo Lawsuit, 11

Local merchants spruce up

THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY

NOVEMBER 17, 2017

As the

wheels

SHOP LOCAL! IS THE CALL IN HOLLISTER

turn

A section of the Hollister Free Lance

Hollister’s Brian Lucas talks bikes

OUT & ABOUT CAL END AR EVE NTS OF

By Barry Holtzclaw Managing Editor

THANKSGIVING WINES P15 | VETERANS SERVICES P18 | REALTOR TERI FORTINO P19

said Jim Brumfield, whose 14-acre horse ranch on San Juan Highway is a short walk from the site of the planned bridge. The riverbed crossing will be funded completely with federal money from the Federal Highway Administration's Toll Credit Highway Bridge Program, with construction slated for the spring of 2017. “The key to a better transportation

TURN TO BRIDGE • A8

LOOK FOR IT ON THE WEB

An advocacy organization that re college instructors across Califo symbolically walk out of the clas what they call a significant pay d

LEARN AT TOP COMPANIES WHILE EARNING YOUR DEGREE. BOSTON | CHARLOTTE | SEATTLE | SILICON VALLEY | TORONTO | ONLINE

make his pizzas. In starting the business, he is also bringing a taste of his Photo Credit family’s home country to his family’s hometown in Hollister. The Felice family is from the Calabria part of Italy and has deep roots in San Benito County as well. With the opening of Forno, meanwhile, Hollister will once again

Many San Benito County residents felt a slight jolt just before lunch Monday, as a 4.7-magnitude earthquake centered about 50 miles south shook the area. The earthquake occurred about 11:30 a.m.

related to the earthquake. Social media users confirmed that they felt the temblor within minutes after it occurred. None reported damage or injuries. On Nov. 14, the USGS also reported that a cluster of smaller earthquakes occurred in the same area as Monday’s quake, as well as earthquakes in Ridgemark, which is just northeast of Gonzales. These ranged in magnitude from 2.5 to 2.9 on the Richter scale.

TURN TO PIZZA • A8

San Juan resident: ‘Like our own

****ECRWSS**** Residential Customer

PAID

HOLLISTER CA. PERMIT #48

for the 5:30pm "Winter Wonderland" parade, featuring Santa and Mrs. Claus, who will pose for photos beginning at 7pm. On Thanksgiving day, Off The Chain Bikes is hosting its annual 33-mile turkey day ride starting at the bike shop at 101 McCray St. at 8:00 am, rain or shine. Local merchants are offering new merchandise, holiday decorations and in many cases special holiday discounts. Nationally, Black Friday discounts average 37 percent.

Cake, anyone?

Estimated parking revenue for the suspension period is about $5,000. The big night is of course the 27th annual Lights On Celebration by the Hollister Downtown Association on Saturday, Nov. 25. On that day, the Holiday Car Display from 10am to 2pm will feature Central Coast Muscle Car Classics at Seventh and San Benito Streets. The front of Veterans' Memorial Building, 649 San Benito St. will offer the best vantage point

The San Benito County chapter of the national nonprofit organization Birthday Cakes 4 Free started last spring and group members have been bringing cakes, cupcakes and muffins to low-income seniors and children ever since then. Since the group started in June, its members have delivered about five cakes a month to the Emmaus House, Chamberlain's Children Center and the assisted living facility Whispering Pines Inn. Now they're looking to expand to individual homes in the county. A2

Solar revisions

The company vying to build a 247-megawatt solar farm in Panoche submitted a draft supplemental environmental impact report addressing plans to examine impacts under a revised, reduced proposal. PV2 Energy filed the supplemental draft EIR on Dec. 23. The prior company overseeing the project, Solargen Energy, had an initial EIR approved by the county board in late 2010. A5

SPORTS

Nov. 13, with an epicenter northeast of Gonzales, according to the U.S. Geological Survey website. The U.S. Geological Survey said that as of Wednesday, Monday’s quake was the 10th-largest in the world in the past 30 days. At 5:15 p.m.on Tuesday, Nov. 14, a 3.8-magnitude quake centered near the same location was reported. There were no reports of damages, injuries or other public safety issues

Project planned for Y Road

7

KATIE HELLAND •REPORTER khelland@freelancenews.com

CLUSTER OF SMALLER TEMBLORS FOLLOWED TUESDAY HOLLISTER

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unanimously approving a holiday season-long suspension of timed parking enforcement in city parking lots, Nov. 24 through Jan. 2. “As a convenience for downtown merchants and shoppers during the holiday shopping season, parking time restrictions suspended for the entire downtown district from November 24, 2017 and ending midnight on January 2, 2018,” the council said in its resolution. Officials said there are 374 parking spaces in the parking lots downtown.

4.6 quake shakes Hollister region

A $16 million bridge stretching 900 feet across the San Benito River is planned to connect Y Road and San Juan Bautista. But in this rural area, the number of people it will serve is small. “It's like our own bridge to nowhere,”

6

Soph surge

It’s not yet Thanksgiving, but volunteers and business owners in Hollister this week began preparing for holiday shoppers, decorating stores and stringing lights. Thirty trees donated by Bourdet's Christmas Trees are being decorated by local nonprofit groups, and

A year ago, Brad Sparrer was the No. 5 player in the lineup on San Benito High’s golf team. But entering the 2015 season—practice starts on Feb. 1—the 5-foot-8, 140pound sophomore will likely be the Haybalers’ No. 1 player. Sparrer’s meteoric rise came the good old-fashioned way: hard work. B1

PRSRT STD US POSTAGE

Inside this issue: Hollister bikes about town

will be given to San Benito County families in need. “Shop local” is the again the primary theme of local merchants. For many of them, fourth-quarter sales can make or break their income goals for the year. Nov. 25 may be Small Business Saturday, but local merchants and restaurants are counting on big turnouts this weekend, as well as the day after Thanksgiving and the weekend that follows. The City Council did its part this week,

SAN ANDREAS FAULT Yellow star on US Geological

Survey map shows location of Monday’s earthquake.

ACCELERATE YOUR CAREER THROUGH THE

TAKE THE

NEXT STEP northeastern.edu/pan/experience


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