New ice cream shop opens
A new ice cream shop has opened in Watsonville that offers a high-end brand of ice cream popular in Mexico.
Heritage Chocolates Corralitos a local, family affair
More than 50 years ago, clockmaker and shop owner Allison Rider discovered a new hobby: making chocolate candies for his friends, family and employees.
Rider, a big chocolate lover, started creating treats loosely based on See's Candies flavors. He experimented with caramel and other soft-center...
Santa Cruz Veterans Alliance readies to open Watsonville dispensary
APTOS—A long line of U.S. military veterans was outside an Aptos cannabis dispensary Monday, waiting their turn for a free monthly package of marijuana.
Called the Veterans’ Compassion Program, the service is the overarching mission of the Santa Cruz Veterans Alliance (SCVA). Through it, people...
Watsonville Hospital announces new CEO
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Community Hospital has a new chief executive officer.
Steven Salyer, who has 14 years of leadership experience in hospitals throughout the U.S., started the position on July 6. The hospital announced the move on July 14.
Salyer previously served as chief operating officer at UP...
New mural adorns County’s new Behavioral Health facility
WATSONVILLE—A new mural against an exterior wall of the new Adult and Children’s Behavioral Health facility in the County complex on Freedom Boulevard is nearing completion.
Watsonville artist Bruce Harman said he started the massive work at the end of August and has squeezed in...
New tattoo shop breaks through city’s strict restrictions on the art
WATSONVILLE—After spending more than a decade as a tattoo artist in Silicon Valley, Pepe Nunez has returned home.
Classic Calavera Tattoo is set to open soon in a location near the intersection of Freedom Boulevard and Green Valley Road that previously housed a bike shop.
Even...
Corralitos Feed and Pet Supplies opens second location
Since closing early in 2017 after 40 years under the same ownership, Valley Feed on Freedom Boulevard has become the second location for Corralitos Feed and Pet Supplies.
Markets prep for Thanksgiving orders
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—As Thanksgiving edges closer, the folks at Corralitos Market & Sausage Co. and Freedom Meat Lockers say now is the time to get orders dialed in.
“I’ve been at this since April, getting ready and dealing with supply, price changes and everything else,”...
City touting equity program as boon for small cannabis business owners
By Abigail Acosta, Special to the Pajaronian
WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville is hoping recent additions to its Cannabis Equity Program will spark a time of opportunity for the city’s minority cannabis business owners.
First approved by the City Council in 2019, the equity program was put...
Body identified as missing woman
A woman’s body recovered on Jan. 18 in the area of Smith Grade and Moore Ranch Road has been identified as 73-year-old Jeanne Burke,...





















