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THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF SAN BENITO COUNTY

A supplement to the Hollister Free Lance

JANUARY 11, 2019

Local trips for that 2019 bucket list

Off the Beaten Path

SAN BENITO MAGAZINE INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Top 5 outings for your 2019 bucket list

FAREWELL GRANADA P10 | VISIONS SHOP P12 | EARLY GRAFFITI P13

NEW YEAR’S BABY P2 | KAIN IS BOARD PREZ P2 | OFFICIALS TAKE OATH P11

HOLLISTER • SAN BENITO COUNTY

Friday, , January 11, 2019

A New SV Media publication

sanbenito.com • Vol. 146, No. 2 • $1

School board selects Ochoa as new district superintendent THREE-YEAR CONTRACT HAS $209K ANNUAL SALARY Scott Forstner Reporter

➝ School, 8

courtesy of San Benito High School

By the end of the day Jan. 7, Hollister School District’s new superintendent Diego Ochoa had already introduced himself to the community with a meet-and-greet at the district office. By the end of the day Jan. 8, Ochoa—who emerged as the sole finalist among a pool of nearly 50 candidates identified by a search firm—had his contract officially ratified by the district’s school board. The five-member board announced the hiring late last month. “President Stephen Kain is pleased to announce that Diego Ochoa is the sole finalist for the superintendent position,” the Dec. 26 release states. Board President Stephen Kain said, “In my more than 30 years of education, I have never met a more qualified person than Mr. Diego Ochoa for the job of superintendent of the Hollister School District. I give him my 100 percent support, and I am

HELPING HANDS San Benito High students Adam Rostan, left, and Tyler Abercrombie take a break

from work at the new student-run coffee house.

Balers brew coffee

LIFE SKILLS STUDENTS LEARN THE BUSINESS Staff report

San Benito High School’s Life Skills Department has a partnership brewing with

local business Java Express to form the Baler Strong Coffee Company. The campus-based business assists students with special needs in developing and practicing social norms, communication skills, money-handling and team building, according to staff.

The coffee business, which launched in late 2018, takes email orders from campus clients only, offering coffee, Ghirardelli hot chocolate, hot tea and iced tea, along with a selection of baked goods to teachers, staff and administrators.

Organizers plan to make the Baler Strong coffee available to the public at school sporting events and activities. Special education transition teacher Chalene Hernandez said the company is a revamped version of the Happy Cup

business through which Life Skills students in recent years sold and delivered food and drinks to SBHS staff in order to build business skills. “We want to include all special education students ➝ Coffee, 8

Shutdown impacts local programs SHUTTERED PROGRAMS AFFECT SMALL BUSINESSES, FAMILIES AND FARMERS By Barry Holtzclaw Managing Editor

As the federal government shutdown entered its third week with no end in sight, local

farmers and home buyers were already feeling the pinch. If the shutdown continues, a wider range of services will be affected, say Congressional staffers. If you are getting ready to prepare your 2018 federal tax return, the Internal Revenue Service said it was prepared to process returns and refunds at the end of the month. If you are one of

approximately 39,000 federal employees in California who are not getting paid, you may still have to go to work. If you are worried about food stamps, there is only enough money to fund the program through January. The staff of Congressman Jimmy Panetta, whose 20th District includes San Benito County and parts of

Gilroy, prepared a report for the Free Lance as of Jan. 8, the date of President Trump’s televised address to the nation. Here is a summary of the shutdown impact, according to Panetta’s staff: The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, has enough funding to last through the month. Senior administration

OPEN HOUSE Saturday, January 26 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Register today! StratfordSchools.com/NorCalOH Morgan Hill Campus

| 410 Llagas Road | (408) 776-8801

officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture said last week they think the program has enough money for January but not enough to cover all benefits in February, a scenario that could lead to a major cutback in benefits for millions, but declined any further public comment. As flu season reaches its ➝ Shutdown, 4


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