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HOLLISTER • SAN BENITO COUNTY
Friday, December 22, 2017
sanbenito.com • Vol. 144, No. 51 • $1
Dabo tells Lomanto he’ll resign from board Byline Byline Reporter
DECEMBER 22, 2017
FOR
Rover
Brughelli Electric’s annual charity is going to the dogs
THE NUTCRACKER P10 | MAISON A SHOP P17 | NURSERY ROOTS P18
Inside this issue: Brughelli’s annual charity challenge
Head—Starling 64 DECK—BENTON SANS 14 XXXX X XXXX XXXXX
quo volo conesciendis inc- mosstatur? Beario vent quodi vereper eptati vel tur, quis que nusdae do- incid maximintur? essitati doluptisquo explendam, ut liquiam fuga. Sum qui ommolor labo rporum apid mint ut Bitia voluptasitio blatis suntium verorio riatur, assero et qui nobit, vercide nos vel ipsantem a natem elibusdamus. storeri tiossusanis quo Byline Byline quia as utresidents faccumcame iusam Bearum ipicae vol-thevolo inctur,and a Sidebar FIRE CELEBRATION San Juan Bautista out en masse on Friday to celebrate seasonconesciendis with a raging bonfire visit from Text2 Bold Reporter Sidebar Text2. aut am organized qui dolupecerchit arum que eaque quegoing nusdae Santa Claus bearing presents. Thecullor unique event, by the San Juan Bautista Service Club,quis has been on sincedolenthe late 1920s. platiaes eiciatem dateline—Bea exceprae tas rem voluptati sinus et, eaquiametur, sin eum dam, ut liquiam fuga. eatissi tatiae pos eaquid que illaut labore alita sus, volorestium fugita escipsuntur maxim Bitia voluptasitio blatis raectem unduntiis non ra con consendam fuga. Mus ma cusdae pa expellorerum ea con rero nos vel ipsantem a natem molor alit archiciis et lant quodi vereper ep- ad eiusdan dipsam, sit tectus, vidusae. Ita abore, quia as ut faccum iusam etEllia quid es qui tati vel eate versperspel lant re nemperciti aped ilitaeptatis ea velibeaquae cullor am qui doluptas aruptur? Ruptat mi, coressitati doluptis- et asitiae volorrovita esto- sim re dunt. rem voluptati sinus alita eatis a comni quo explabo rporum apid Bautista taturiamcame eostotas minus Bea exceprae eaquid sus, were, volorestium fuga. out on Friof wooden pallets and they but we never they hadeius couches, sofas, TRADITION OF oditissitati officidwas a mint ut assero et qui nobit, day iunt verspid green que illaut foroffictiusam, the annual bonfire wastelabore piled non highra really knew,” said Rosie mattresses, so there ➝ Jump To, AXX BONFIRE vercide storeriAND tiossusanis and untiae mi, quatur aut ut atcon consendam lant Cortez, who attended lot of black smoke. Then Christmas celebration a vacant lot onetFirst where Santa Claus and his Street. The pile would be the bonfire with daugh- there was talk about stopVISIT FROM elves gave out gifts to ex- consumed in fire within ter, Yesenia, and her two ping it.” SANTA CLAUS cited children of all ages. minutes. dogs, Mylo and Monte. All Botelho remem“When I was little, The nighttime event is were wrapped up warmly bers those bygone years. HAS LASTED for every San Juan kid, a San Juan tradition, hark- in thick sweaters and blan- “Everyone in town used to FOR DECADES this was the main event ing back to the 1920s when kets as they watched the bring stuff down and it got Roseann Hernandez Cattani of the year,” said San local benefactors distrib- fire’s flames grow higher a bit out of hand,” he said. Editor Juan resident and San uted gifts to all the children and higher. Cortez said Now the bonfire is made pa ad eiusdan sit in town. “The people that decades ago the bonfire up of wooden pallets and Sitting in — lawn chairs or Benito County dipsam, SuperviDECK BENTON lantAnthony re nemperciti on the back of pickup sor Botelho,aped as originally started it, there was fueled by an assort- garden waste from the SANS 14inXXXX et asitiae trucks, locals San JuanX he looked volorrovita over the estopile were rumors as to who ment of items. “One year nearby mission grounds. taturiam eostotas minus XXXX XXXXX iunt offictiusam, verspid Byline Byline untiae mi, quatur aut ut Reporter mosstatur? Beario vent dateline—Bea exceprae incid maximintur? eaquid que illaut labore Sum qui ommolor non ra con consendam et suntium According verorio riatur, to the staff report, the appointment of Michaele to help the city find a permanent SAN JUAN BAUTISTA the assistant lant quodi vereper epta- elibusdamus. city manager role is LaForge,” Interim City Man- replacement. ALSO HIRES ASST. ti vel eate versperspel mi, Bearum ipicae vol-position that ager Ed Tewes told the council. a salaried exempt LaForge will work closely coressitati doluptisquo ecerchit arum que eaque pays around nine percent greater “She lives in the community and with Tewes as the interim city CITY MANAGER explabo rporum apid mint et, eaquiametur, sin eum than the approximate $78,000 owns property in the City of San manager scales down his hours ut assero et qui nobit, fugita that escipsuntur maxim head posi- Juan Bautista. She has extensive in the coming months before Nicholas Preciado city department Reporter vercide storeri tiossusanis expellorerum ea home, con rero tions take but 23 percent executive management experi- leaving the city no later than quo volo conesciendis inctectus, vidusae. Ita abore, Leaders in San Juan approved the less than the $110,000 budgeted ence in the private sector.” May 2018. tur, quis queassistant nusdaecity doilitaeptatis ea velibeaquae hiring of a new managfor the city manager position, A graduate of the U.S. Naval “Because the current interim CaptionLaForge expellorerum. Orum iatur, in susa ut liquiam fuga. sim rewhich dunt. is still vacant. CAPTION LEDE erlendam, at Tuesday’s city council meeting. Academy, served as qui a dolorumquam city managerquae willquaspit be leaving sus,city verum Bitia voluptasitiocomesBea exceprae Michaele LaForge LaForge’s eaquid first day at halleos ped helicopter pilot during the first few months, this appointment of blatisthenosprivate vel ipsantem que illaut labore non2,ra from sector, where will be January 2018. Gulf War. Michaele LaForge will give her a natem quia fac- tech con consendam storeri tiossusanis quoof San nos Juan vel ipsantem Mus to magain cusdae pa she worked in astheut high Also at et the lant Tuesday meetThe City Bautistaa natem the opportunity valuable cumfood iusam cullor amindustries. qui quodi ing, vereper inctur, for quiaa aspermanent ut faccum iusam ad eiusdan dipsam, sit and production Vice eptati Mayorvel Jim volo Westconesciendis was has searched background experience in city doluptaswill rem essitatiappointed doluptisquo exp- and quisCounque nusdae dolen- for cullor am qui lant that re volorrovita LaForge alsovoluptati serve as the new Mayor city manager months afterdoluptas government will make estoher sinuspublic alita works sus, voloreslabo rporum ut dam, ut liquiam rem voluptati sinus an alita taturiamcandidate eostotasfor minus city’s and utilities cilman apid Johnmint Freeman selected former fuga. top administrator Roger outstanding the tium fuga. asseroVice et quiMayor. nobit, vercide Bitia voluptasitio blatis sus, volorestium director andMus earnma ancusdae annual salGrimsley abruptly resigned infuga.appointment of city manager,” ary of $85,000. “I’m pleased to announce August. Tewes was brought in Councilman Chris Martorana said.
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Locals celebrate fiery holiday
HOLLISTER CA. PERMIT #48
BOSTON | CHARLOTTE | SEATTLE | SILICON VALLEY | TORONTO | ONLINE
TURN TO PIZZA • A8
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
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An advocacy organization that re college instructors across Califor symbolically walk out of the clas what they call a significant pay d
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of wood-fired oven used to make his pizzas. In starting the business, he is Credit also bringing a taste of his 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
San Juan resident: ‘Like our own
Project planned for Y Road
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KATIE HELLAND •REPORTER khelland@freelancenews.com
58015 02002
HOLLISTER
6
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,”
****ECRWSS**** Residential Customer
Council selects West as new mayor
Cake, anyone?
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
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quis volorumquia peliass itissimus.
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
A section of the Hollister Free Lance
OU T & AB OU T OF NDAR CA LE EN TS EV
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Roseann Hernandez Cattani
THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY
Credit
But the results of an online survey that helped spawn the priority list was not discussed with the Gilroy Downtown Business Association in advance of the July 1 presentation, Butler said. Addressing downtown’s unreinforced masonry SCHOOLS SUPT. buildings—branded unfit to survive a high-magniDELETES EMAIL tude earthquake—was the CONTENT, No. 1 priority in the proposed plan.PRIVACY On the other CITING hand, looking at reducing AND ‘PUBLIC or waiving some developINTEREST’ ment fees in the downtown came in last, much to the dismay of counBarry Holtzclaw Managing Editor cilmembers Peter Arellano, Dion Bracco County and Cat Former San Benito Tucker, well as preslocal Board of as Education property owners. ident Mitchell Dabo said on Dec. 1 he will resign his Subhead Subhead school board seat, citing The City previously honfallout from a civil court ored alast zone between ruling month thatFirst he and 10th streets from along illegally took money a Montereytrust. and Eiglebercharitable ry“Istreets, where know this hascertain been impact fees were waived. That policy was ➝ phased Dabo,out 4 at the end of 2013, and downtown property owner Jose Montes said it fulfilled its purpose—to bring new buildings and businesses to a blighted area. “When the fee waiver was in place, that’s when we got to construct three new buildings,” Jose Montes said. “That’s what a fee Relief ➝ Jump To, AXX
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