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Watsonville
March 19, 2024

Covid, fires throw renters, landlords into deeper bind

WATSONVILLE—The Covid-19 pandemic has presented many challenges for Santa Cruz County renters, property managers and landlords alike. With renters suddenly out of work and unable to pay most, or even the entirety of their rent, threats of evictions have been looming. For some landlords,...

Pajaro neighborhood questions proposed farmworker housing

pajaro farmworker housing
PAJARO—The Monterey County Planning Commission on Wednesday delayed adopting a mitigated negative declaration (MND) for a 60-unit housing project in Pajaro, to give County staff time to provide notice to the people who live near the proposed site. Residents have expressed alarm about the project,...

Evening With the Mayor aims to raise money for holiday lights display

Jimmy Dutra
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Mayor Jimmy Dutra says he clearly remembers the light displays that once lined downtown every holiday season.  As a kid, Dutra would see the sparkling candy canes, snowflakes and more that adorned the street lights, poles and storefronts as he and his family walked...

Reel Work Film Festival hits year 16

The 16th annual Reel Work May Day Labor Film Festival will kick off Saturday and run through May 1. The films and discussions take place at multiple venues spanning Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and Monterey counties.

Cool weather helps firefighters notch ‘best day yet’

czu august lightning complex fire
SCOTTS VALLEY—Cool, moist weather throughout the day continued to help firefighters battle the CZU August Lightning Complex fires, which have now scorched 78,684 acres, and as of Monday night was 13% contained, firefighters told reporters during a press conference. During the conference, Santa Cruz County...

New mural unveiled at Cabrillo College

cabrillo college mural cafeteria
A new mural has been installed at Cabrillo College in Aptos. Thanks to the creative hand of Watsonville artist Yermo Aranda, 18 Cabrillo students and an art instructor, the 42-foot-long mural now lives on the walls in the campus cafeteria. The work is the result...

Nature walks open to older adults

Watsonville nature walks
WATSONVILLE—Thanks to a partnership between the Watsonville Senior Center and the Watsonville Nature Center, 22 older adults got a close-up view of Struve Slough, and its birds and plants Monday during the Senior Nature Walk, a program that launched in November. Led up by Nancy...

Farm Bureau receives awards

The Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau (SCCFB) was honored with five County Activities of Excellence Awards, and was a finalist in the statewide Innovator Awards at the California Farm Bureau’s 104th meeting in early December. A local delegation of five attended the annual meeting in...

PV Arts reopens gallery, welcomes new executive director

Pajaro Valley Arts watsonville gallery
WATSONVILLE—After a year of being shuttered, Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) has once again fully opened its gallery to the public. On April 9, the organization welcomed the public back with the start of its annual fundraising exhibit, “Take Aways: Art to Go!” Now in its...

A life, preserved: In memory of famed local taxidermist Richard Gurnee

Watsonville native Richard Gurnee, who revolutionized the field of scientific taxidermy by pioneering a freeze-drying technique still employed worldwide, died in October after a brief illness. He was 87. Gurnee graduated from Watsonville High School in 1954, and then studied zoology at Humboldt State University. But...
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St. Francis’ Junior Ibarra, MVC’s Ava Johnson, Aptos’ Luke Garvey, Watsonville’s...

This week’s edition of the Pajaronian Sports Ticker highlights local prep athletes for their performances during the weeks of March 4-10 and 11-17.    Preps of...