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Watsonville
November 28, 2024

A profile in public service: Lowell Hurst

By DREW ROGERS CONTRIBUTED TO THE PAJARONIAN Purely by happenstance after moving here in 2018, I met Lowell Hurst during his last month as Watsonville’s mayor (his third stint). Affable with a booming, cheery voice landing truth bombs and jokes equally, his Midwest openness and disdain...

Suspect nabbed in Aromas armed robbery

AROMAS—An Oakland man is in custody following a string of crimes that included an armed robbery of the Mobil Gas Station in Aromas on Oct. 22.  During the robbery, at 2961 San Juan Road, a store clerk was held at gunpoint while cash was taken...

Newsom signs student housing bill

cabrillo college
Plans to build 624 units of affordable student housing on Cabrillo College’s Aptos campus got the green light Monday when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill to fund the project. The dual Senate and Assembly bills, both numbered 142, will provide $111 million for the...

City to form Senior Action Committee

WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville is searching for residents 50 years of age or older to serve on its new Senior Action Committee (SAC). Members of this volunteer committee will advise the city and other local jurisdictions by representing the perspectives, concerns and needs of Watsonville’s...

Work underway to strengthen levees and prepare for winter rains

pajaro river levee repair
Next year, work crews will kick off a $400 million project to rebuild the levees in South Santa Cruz and North Monterey counties and keep the rivers and creeks from escaping and devastating the surrounding communities. That long-anticipated work will be a relief to the...

Lawmakers, officials pushing for faster Pajaro levee repairs

pajaro river levee alex padilla jimmy panetta
PAJARO—A little more than a month after the Pajaro Levee broke and released waves of roiling river water that laid waste to homes, businesses and crops in Pajaro, a group of local, state and federal lawmakers gathered near the river in Monterey County on...

Substitute teacher no longer employed after racist rant

A longtime Pajaro Valley Unified School District substitute teacher is no longer working with the district after an expletive-laden, racist rant following a fender-bender was posted to TikTok on Monday. PVUSD interim Superintendent Murry Schekman did not name the teacher, and did not confirm that...

Santa Cruz County Supervisors approve equity statement

santa cruz county seal logo
In the minutes before the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors unanimously on Tuesday approved an equity statement and a series of steps to achieve it, Elaine Johnson, president of Santa Cruz County’s NAACP branch, described an experience five years ago that she says...

PVUSD trustees to appoint interim superintendent

pvusd trustees
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday are scheduled to appoint an interim superintendent to take the top spot while the district conducts a national search for a permanent one. Also during that meeting, the trustees will select a firm to...

Q&A: Watsonville Taiko sensei describes Obon

Ikuyo Conant watsonville taiko
The community is invited to the Obon Festival at the Watsonville Buddhist Temple (423 Bridge St.) Sunday, July 16 from noon to 5pm. Watsonville Taiko will perform at 3pm. The event is free and open to the public.  We spoke with Ikuyo Conant, Sensei and...
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Stolen pickup leads to weapons seizure, arrests

Three people were arrested Nov. 23 on a string of charges after Watsonville Police got a tip about a stolen pickup. Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle...