Local News

As the new year approaches, we take a look at the stories and imagesthat captured the most attention over the past year. All photos are by Pajaronian photographer Tarmo Hannula. January TERMINAL CONDITION The year started off with a literal bang, as the battery energy storage system...

The Monterey Bay region is expected to see a wet start to the new year, with several days of rain, fog and an elevated risk of coastal flooding affecting low-lying areas near Watsonville through the weekend. The National Weather Service has issued a Coastal Flood...

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has identified the woman who died after reportedly being bitten by a shark as 55-year-old Erica Fox. Sheriff’s officials said Fox’s body was found near Davenport Beach on Saturday around 2pm along the rugged coastline north of Santa Cruz....

The City of Watsonville has named longtime firefighter Corey Schaefer as its next fire chief following the retirement of Chief Rudy López. Schaefer, a 27-year veteran of the Watsonville Fire Department, has served as acting fire chief since August and was selected after a recruitment...

Construction is set to resume on Haven Plaza, a 35-unit permanent supportive housing community at 2838 Park Ave. in Soquel after developers secured critical financing.  On Dec. 10, Park Haven Plaza was awarded a Tax-Exempt Bond allocation by the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee (CDLAC),...

The city of Watsonville has selected Brian Shab as its next police chief, city officials announced Tuesday. Shab, who has more than 27 years of public safety experience, is currently an assistant chief with the San Jose Police Department, where he oversees departmentwide operations serving...

Every year,  lawmakers in Sacramento introduce a flurry of bills, most of which are eviscerated during the legislative process and end up on the Assembly or Senate trash heap. A select few make it to the governor’s desk, and assuming they dodge the veto...

Downtown Watsonville has always boasted strong multicultural roots and a rich community of artists, small businesses and residents that care deeply about their community. Now, the state of California does, too. The California Arts Council has named downtown Watsonville one of the state’s newest officially designated...

Members of the local 45-year-old dance company Esperanza del Valle treat the public to the annual La Rama parade in downtown Watsonville Dec. 19. Joined by members of Estrellas de Esperanza, the dancers brought traditional attire and dances to the streets around the weekly...

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District voted Monday night, during a specially scheduled meeting, to cut roughly 80 teacher positions. The reductions include 30 elementary multiple-subject teaching positions, 10 middle school core teaching positions, and counseling staff. Additional cuts to single-subject teachers include five in...