When I first started reporting on San Benito County as a student fresh out of graduate school, I worried that it might be boring. After all, most of the county is rural farmland and most of its residents commute upwards of an hour to work each day. It has a population of less than 60,000 residents and it seemed to be a sleepy town with not much going on. But in the years I’ve been reporting here I’ve always been surprised at how often I find great stories – even ones that get picked up on a national level.

Just a few weeks ago I was able to follow up with Ashley Adams, a San Benito High School graduate, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer while she was pregnant with quadruplets. Though she lives in Colorado now I had a chance to catch up with her and her four babies while they visited family in Hollister. She shared with me – and with readers – how her medical prognosis is coming along and what life is like with four 7-month-olds. While Adams’ story was reported on CNN when she was first diagnosed, I’ve been able to keep tabs on the family for local readers who know her family or grew up with her.

This week I had the chance to interview another Hollister native who is living away from home. Kirk Ward plays the part of Tallahassee in “Zombieland the series.” The original pilot is available on Amazon Instant Video. Ward shared his experience of making the pilot – with a role the creators of the movie and series say was originally written with him in mind – while also discussing the unique structure of Amazon’s original content.

Follow the links to read the stories:

Family healthy after high-risk pregnancy of quadruplets, mother’s cancer – Free Lance News _ Health Care

Hollister native gets role in ‘Zombieland’ revival – Free Lance News _ Local