Photo Gallery May 31, 2024
These are a collection of images from our photojournalist Tarmo Hannula that did not make it into stories, but we think should be enjoyed. Do you have a photo you’d like to be considered for our gallery? Send it to editor@pajaronian.com.
The slow way home from San Francisco
On our one-night journey to San Francisco recently, my wife Sarah and I wrapped up day one with dinner at Mister Jiu’s, 28 Waverly Place in Chinatown.
Our seat at the bar gave us a front-row taste of the goings on at the popular and...
PVUSD trustees approve new superintendent contract
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously approved a three-year contract for its new superintendent.
Heather Contreras’ contract shows her start date of May 1. Her base pay will be $242,000 per year, with a 2% raise after one year,...
Photo Story: Coffee with a Cop
MEET AND GREET - Watsonville Police officer Sergio Bañuelos converses with Micaela Henson, David Hernadez and their chill Melissa Friday outside the Police Department during the first Coffee With a Cop. The free, informal gathering serves as an arena for the community to engage...
First organic artichokes growing in Watsonville
Anyone rolling along Riverside Drive into Watsonville from Highway 1 lately must have noticed the new, healthy welcome mat—20 acres of organic artichokes popping their thistle heads up at the Sadie Ranch. The organic crop is a first for the Pajaro Valley.
The crop, known...
From Our Archives: Getting Ready
These women tidy up the grounds of the Corralitos Women’s Club in preparation for an annual show on May 1, 1957. (Sam Vestal/Pajaronian file)
From Our Archives: On track
The Watsonville Union High track team hits the field for a competition on March 13, 1955. (Sam Vestal/Pajaronian archives)
A busy day in Berlin | Travel
Editor’s note: This is the fourth part of a travel series about England, Germany and the Netherlands.
Before my recent trip to Europe, I did some research on each country—learning certain customs and common phrases. I took advice from family, friends and tour guides about...
Community shows its pride
Elaine Johnson was 15 before she realized that the “aunt” who lived with her grandmother was actually her grandmother’s partner of four decades.
In those days, LGBTQ largely had to live in the shadows, lest they draw scorn from a society not yet evolved enough...
Taking in the flavors of the California coast
In May my wife, Sarah, and I took a nine-day, 1,250-mile road trip to southern California with a goal of checking out coastal towns big and small.
We headed south through Prunedale and caught Highway 101 south aiming for Santa Barbara where we had a...
Victor E. Rugh III
Feb. 28, 1942 - July 28, 2026Watsonville, CAVictor E. Rugh III, age 84, of Elgin, Illinois, passed on to his eternal home on July...






















