Local News

WATSONVILLE—The man who died at Watsonville Community Hospital on March 20 after testing positive for COVID-19 was fighting diabetes, his family said in a Facebook post over the weekend. The man in his early 50s was believed to be a resident of Las Lomas, a...

WATSONVILLE—While some will be celebrating the birthday of activist and labor leader Cesar Chavez on March 31, a major raspberry grower in Watsonville will close its doors, and hundreds of employees will be laid off. A representative at Premiere Raspberries, LLC confirmed the closure Thursday...

Tents and a line of chairs have been set up outside Loaves and Fishes awaiting the normal Mon-Fri lunch for needy people on Second Street in Watsonville. • Of the 200 people tested for coronavirus at Natividad Medical Center, a 172-bed acute-care teaching hospital in Salinas,...

Have a recent photo you’d like to share? Send it to us for consideration by emailing it to [email protected] or mailing it to 21 Brennan St., Suite 14, Watsonville, CA 95076. Please include a brief description of the photo as well as the name...

WATSONVILLE—Cafe Ella owners Erika Conrad and Jennifer DeVault say they are hopeful that their business will persevere through the COVID-19 crisis. The twin sisters, who took over the small cafe on East Lake Avenue from Ella’s at the Airport owner Ella King last year, said...

Johanna Miller His Dark Materials (HBO/BBC) I was both excited and nervous when I heard that BBC and HBO would be releasing a miniseries adaptation of my favorite book series, “His Dark Materials” by Philip Pullman. As a longtime fan, I was hoping it would at...

After the outbreak of COVID-19 prompted shelter-in-place orders last week, scores of performing arts venues and museums across Santa Cruz County have closed.  Staff and artists are now out of work, and locally-owned venues are currently figuring out their next step. Cabrillo College Box Office Specialist...

By Jazmin Juarez, special to the Pajaronian WATSONVILLE—During the coronavirus outbreak, several people have gone shopping for food in large quantities without realizing the impact it can have on their neighbors. Around 5,000 people in Watsonville rely on the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC), whose...

MONTEREY COUNTY—The Monterey County Agriculture Commissioner’s Office, Supervisors Luis Alejo and Chris Lopez, along with Grower-Shipper Association of Central California, Monterey County Farm Bureau, Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association, Coastal Growers Association and California Strawberry Commission recently released a model Advisory for Agriculture...

Congress is still hammering out details on a $2 trillion rescue package to help the country weather the coronavirus outbreak. Financial relief in the package is aimed at helping large corporations, the airline industry, hospitals and public transportation. In addition, around $367 billion is...