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Editor's note: This is part two of photojournalist Tarmo Hannula's recent trip to Sacramento. After exploring Grizzly Island Wildlife Area on the morning of the second day of our road trip to Sacramento recently, my wife, Sarah, and I steered toward a string of small...

Just two years ago, Watsonville Community Hospital was saddled with a $30 million debt and was facing bankruptcy and possible closure. But on Wednesday, the Pajaro Valley Health Care District (PVHCD) Board of Directors—the agency that oversees the publicly owned hospital—heard a budget report which,...

After decades of making decisions that affect the lives of students throughout Santa Cruz County, the County Board of Education on Thursday inaugurated its first student trustee. Oscar Alvarez-Delgado, a 17-year-old senior from Pajaro Valley High School, was chosen from five applicants.  Santa Cruz County Office...

Meetings to discuss proposed fire district assessment Property owners in the Pajaro Valley Fire Protection District are being asked to vote on a new assessment to maintain the Fire District’s current services and operations. According to the district, this measure will help to ensure adequate staffing...

VFW Post 1716 honors students, teacher Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1716 in Freedom recently gave out scholarships and awards. Every year, the post hands out scholarships and awards to a middle school student, a high school student and selects a teacher of the year.  This year’s...

Cabrillo celebrates Hispanic Serving Institution designation Cabrillo College is celebrating its designation as an Hispanic Serving Institution with a variety of events. VAPA Voices Day will be held on Sept. 11 from noon to 2pm at the Aptos amphitheater. The event features free food, workshops and...

The Western Flyer is a 77-foot wooden boat made famous by expeditions of author John Steinbeck and his biologist friend Ed Ricketts. The purse seiner has now found a new home in the Monterey Bay. Built in Tacoma, Wash., in 1937 to fish for sardines in...

The causes of food insecurity are complex, but research suggests that health, housing and employment are key factors.  Feeding America—the country’s largest hunger relief organization—reports that annual healthcare costs for food-insecure adults are on average $1,834 higher than food-secure adults. Food insecurity, as defined by...

Plans are underway to install four larger-than-life sculptures in downtown Watsonville as part of an overall redesign of Watsonville Plaza.  While the historical gazebo/bandstand, designed by famed architect William Weeks, will still maintain its spot in the plaza center, ideas are being discussed to retrofit...

Every year, a group of volunteers works to make sure that children in need have a toy to unwrap on Christmas day. This behind-the-scenes work, which begins in late summer, is no small feat. It requires wrangling donations of cash and items to build a...