State grants Open Space Authority $1.2M for Coyote Valley preservation plan
The Board of the State Coastal Conservancy recently authorized funding totaling $84 million for projects throughout California to protect and restore coastal lands, increase coastal resilience to climate change, improve public access to the coast and reduce the impact of wildfire on coastal lands.
Locally,...
First storm of 2023 expected late Tuesday
Sunday's dry spell helped the greater Bay Area briefly recover from a powerful storm on New Year's weekend, but a Pineapple Express on the way will soak the region mid-week, forecasters said Monday.
Mop-up efforts to bail out flooded basements and clear mudslides from roadways...
Parasite kills native California pigeons
Hundreds of California native pigeons have died this winter due to a parasitic disease, announced state wildlife officials on Feb. 23.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said they’ve noticed an increase of reported sick and dead band-tailed pigeons since early February, mostly around...
Santa Clara County program aims to prevent massive wildfires
Every year, beginning in March, property owners throughout the county must comply with regulations designed to prevent the spread of wildfires that threaten people, property and the environment. The rules took effect March 1 for three cities—San José, Santa Clara and Campbell—and later in...
Local grower excited for Mushroom Mardi Gras
The Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras returns for the 41st year this weekend, May 28-29—this time with a new “Platinum Sponsor,” local mushroom cultivator Sempera Organics.
Sempera Organics, located off Church Street, grows and processes “functional mushrooms” for a variety of wellness and cuisine purposes,...
State Water Project increases local allocations in wake of winter storms
In the wake of a series of powerful winter storms that lashed California for three weeks in January, the state announced Jan. 26 that it will deliver more water than expected from its major storage and delivery system.
All 29 public water agencies—serving 27 million...
Return of the fungi
The 41st Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras took over the city’s downtown for the holiday weekend, bringing patrons and visitors all the arts and crafts, food vendors and live entertainment they missed from the festival’s cancellations due to Covid-19 in recent years.
The Mushroom Mardi...
McKay: Terroir in the valley
I hear this question a lot: are our local wines as good as Napa’s? OK, that’s a fair question.
Let’s start all this with the fact Napa is considered one of the greatest wine making regions in the world. Period! Italian, Spanish, Croatian, etc… wines...
Nursery plants remain Santa Clara County’s most valuable crops
Nursery crops remained at the top in Santa Clara County, growing by 19% in 2021 to exceed $109 million in value, according to the 2021 crop report released Aug. 31.
Mushrooms, meanwhile, grew by 5% but remained in second place at $79,480,000, followed by bell...
Morgan Hill set to break ground on new pickleball courts
The city will break ground this week on Morgan Hill’s first dedicated outdoor pickleball courts, which will be located at the Community Park off West Edmundson Avenue.
A groundbreaking ceremony will take place at 10am Dec. 20 at the site of the future new courts,...