PHOTO: Community lights up menorah for Hanukkah
Leila Veitch lights up the first candle of a menorah Thursday evening at the town clock in downtown Santa Cruz in honor of her friend Ziva Mitnick on the first night of Hanukkah. The gathering, headed up by Temple Beth El of Aptos, included...
UCSC Chancellor rallies WHS students
WATSONVILLE—UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Cynthia K. Larive made her first visit to Watsonville High School Monday as part of an annual Achieve UC outreach effort. In the Mello Center, she addressed hundreds of students to deliver the message that an education at a University...
County showcases new mental health facility
WATSONVILLE—Santa Cruz County Behavioral Health Services showed off its new South County facility Friday, a building that has allowed the agency to more than double its space and bring an expanded offering of mental health services to the Watsonville area.
The building at 1430 Freedom...
Pajaro Valley High teachers ready to file staff shortage complaint
WATSONVILLE—A group of teachers from Pajaro Valley High School is planning to file a complaint with their school, citing an ongoing teacher shortage they say causes a threat to student health and safety and makes their jobs untenable.
The teachers filing the Williams complaints say...
Watsonville attempted murder suspect pleads not guilty
Manuel Adrian Perez, 22, remains in Santa Cruz County Jail on attempted murder charges after Judge Rodney Stafford kept his bail at $375,000.
Big-rig flips on Hwy 101 in Aromas
A big rig ended up on its side on the northbound entrance to Highway 101 at Highway 129 Thursday in Aromas around 10:30 a.m.
Traffic safety plan around Lakeview Middle School moves forward
WATSONVILLE—A plan to improve traffic and pedestrian safety at a notoriously busy intersection on the outskirts of Watsonville took a step forward Wednesday.
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees unanimously agreed to allow the California Department of Transportation to use a small...
Educator of the Year award recipients announced
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Office of Education recently announced the county’s Educator of the Year awards.
The awards recognize educators and staff who have gone above and beyond in their commitment to students, education and the community. Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools...
Watsonville cements sister city status with Portuguese city
WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville solidified its Sister City affiliation with Velas, a historic port town on the western coast of São Jorge Island in Portugal, at its Tuesday night City Council meeting.
Watsonville Mayor Ari Parker and Vasco Cordeiro, the President of the European Committee...
Year in Review: 2020 was a year like no other
I started working for the Pajaronian in February 1997. As a news gatherer, that translates to a lot of blank pages being filled over the years with news and photos of what’s going on. Of those 23 years as a journalist, 2020 most assuredly...
A parade of dancers in Zacatecas
As our one-week August vacation was nearing an end in Zacatecas, Mexico, my wife Sarah and I had been to around 20 dance performances...























