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APTOS—Local artist and Pajaro Valley Arts exhibit coordinator Hedwig Heerschop recently raised $1,000 during the Open Studios Art Tour for children in Ukraine. Heerschop, a fine art photographer and printmaker, raffled off one of her photograph etchings, depicting a blue and yellow sunflower. She sold...

Come December, the Bockius-Orr House and Gardens at the Pajaro Valley Historical Association (PVHA) on West Beach Street will be decorated more than ever before, with strands of garland, Christmas touches and twinkling lights adorning the nearby oak trees. This year, PVHA’s annual No-Attendance Mail-In...

SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a new ordinance aimed at protecting tenants being harassed by their landlords or property owners when they speak out about bad conditions in their living spaces. The item was heard for first and second...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Community Hospital has been up and running under its new leadership—the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District (PVHD)—since Sept. 1. It has been business as usual since then. On Monday, however, a group of state and local elected officials, along with the PVHD board and a sizable...

WATSONVILLE—A new bilingual center, aiming to provide services and resources to families across Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties, will open its doors Monday in Watsonville. Located at 1205 Freedom Blvd., Raíces y Cariño: A Community Collective for Families (RC Fam) will offer a...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County officials this week announced that they have found in Watsonville a species of mosquito known to carry the diseases dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever. Those diseases are not currently found in California, and none of the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes—found...

WATSONVILLE—Police have arrested a man suspected of starting a fire in St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish that caused $100,000 in damage. Alberto Melgoza, 36, is also suspected of setting a fire at Ave Maria Memorial Chapel in June, Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said. Melgoza was arrested...

WATSONVILLE—A fire that severely damaged St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish on Oct. 17 was arson, Watsonville Police Department confirmed Tuesday. Church officials say they have video footage of the arson occurring. It was not clear Tuesday afternoon if there is any suspect information. Pastor Jason Simas said in...

A newly formed community group with the vision of reducing the use of pesticides in the Pajaro Valley is taking on international berry giant Driscoll’s. The Campaign for Organic and Regenerative Agriculture (CORA) recently sent a letter to Driscoll’s CEO Miles Reiter calling for the...