Agriculture

Projected costs of the massive Anderson Dam reconstruction project in Morgan Hill have risen to approximately $2.3 billion, according to a report prepared by engineers for the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Two years ago, the cost of the dam project—required for earthquake protection and...

This column is probably more along the lines of what many would expect from a wine related column—this one is about a South Valley winery. This winery represents many of the aspects of my past columns, so let’s take a look. We are fortunate to...

Julie Hutcheson, a longtime Morgan Hill resident and environmental advocate for the South Bay, is the new executive director for Green Foothills.  Hutcheson has been on Green Foothills’ staff for more than 12 years and has taken an active role in leading the organization, most...

California’s water storage and delivery systems are in good shape heading into the rainy season, having benefited from last year’s near-historic rain and snowfall totals, according to the state’s top water managers.  Coming off three years of punishing drought conditions, last year was the sixth...

Valley Water, the local water district that is in charge of rebuilding the dam at Anderson Reservoir in Morgan Hill, recently released a draft environmental study of the seismic retrofit project.  The district is now accepting public comment on the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project...

Symposium addresses shortage of educator housing As a lack of affordable housing exacerbates the teacher shortage, school district leaders and school board members gathered at the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) on Sept. 21 to learn about a variety of housing resources and...

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,...

The Office of the State Fire Marshal recently established a statewide program to allow qualified applicants to support Cal Fire in its defensible space and home hardening assessment and education efforts, says a press release from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.  Qualified...

I’m back, and glad to see you are too. I’m starting this column with some basic information about wine and our region because I’ve found out so few know about our local wine regions or really understand some of the basics of buying and enjoying...

Lightning caused four small wildfires in Santa Clara, Monterey and San Benito counties as thunderstorms rumbled across the area Sept. 9, the National Weather Service said. A fire in Santa Clara County charred about one acre west of Coyote Creek, the weather service said. A...