Local News

Less than three hours after Santa Cruz County unveiled for the public the first look at this year’s budget on Friday—which among other things calls for laying off 74.40 full time equivalent positions and a budget reduction of $8.98 million to the Santa Cruz...

The city of Watsonville is inviting the community to a workshop focused on planning for future passenger rail service and trail improvements in and around the Watsonville area.  The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) is hosting the workshop as part of its ongoing...

The Cabrillo Gallery is presenting Student Exhibition 2025, showcasing a cross-section of student talent.  This exhibition offers a wide sampling of artwork completed by students from all disciplines taught in the Cabrillo College Art Studio and Art Photography Departments during the 2024-25 school year. “The show is...

Flodberg Park lies in the center of a neighborhood at the end of Alvarado Street, a tiny place with a grassy field, a blacktop, a play structure and tables for picnics. There is also a long, colorful mural along a fence abutting the park, as...

Every year, the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture selects the people, organizations and events that help shape the vibrant community that is Watsonville.  All of the awardees will be honored at an awards ceremony in July. Stay tuned to the Pajaronian for the...

The past three years have been transformative for Watsonville Community Hospital, which was facing bankruptcy in late 2021 before a local group banded together to save it. Now under local ownership—and more importantly, back under local control—the hospital has seen a sea change in its...

More than 100 people lined up along Main Street in downtown Watsonville Saturday as part of a nationwide protest against President Donald Trump. Waving signs such as "Hands Off,” “Question Authority,” and “Only You Can Prevent Fascism” the crowd drew hoots,hollers and blaring horns...

Nearly two years after the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees voted to end the contract of a company providing ethnic studies training for teachers and administrators, an almost entirely new board unanimously agreed to reverse that decision Wednesday. The one-year contract with...

Before the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, roughly 18% of Santa Cruz County residents lacked health insurance. After it was signed into law, that number dropped to 6%. But as the Trump administration continues to make cuts at the federal level to myriad social...

Flames tore through one of several buildings on the property of the Bigfoot Discovery Museum in Felton Sunday night, but spared the famed museum building. Felton Fire officials said the fire broke out around 10pm and destroyed a small cabin situated between the museum that...