Local News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—One day after Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel announced she was closing parks, beaches and open spaces countywide starting Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. to combat the spread of coronavirus, Sheriff Jim Hart said that law enforcement personnel will start...

Do you have a photo you'd like to share with the community? Email it to @pajaronian.com or send by mail to 21 Brennan St., Ste. 14, Watsonville, CA, 95076 for consideration. Please include a brief description of the photo as well as the name...

APTOS—Cabrillo College President Matt Wetstein in a March 31 email thanked voters who supported Measure R, which would have funded construction and infrastructure projects at the college’s Aptos and Watsonville campuses.  The $274 million bond measure would have placed about $20 per $100,000 on the...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel has issued a new order closing parks and beaches in Santa Cruz County beginning 11:59 p.m. on April 8, through 11:59 p.m. on April 15, a period that includes Easter weekend and much of...

WATSONVILLE—Jessica Martin was getting ready to go to bed Saturday night when she received a text message from a friend. Then another. And another. And another. “They just kept coming in,” she said. “It went viral, really viral.” Her family’s bakery, Rebeca’s Bakery off of Main...

Some people are placing teddy bears in their homes' windows facing the street as a kind gesture to passersby, especially children who are out of school. The bear "scavenger hunt" is taking place all over the country. • The first full moon of the spring will...

CENTRAL COAST—Heavy rains drenched the Central Coast at the start of the week, but forecasters say wet weather has largely drifted south, opening the curtain for warmer, sunny days. While areas of the Central Coast dealt with isolated flooding, a few down trees and a...

WATSONVILLE—More than 10 percent of the $349 billion set aside for the nation’s small businesses struggling to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic has already been claimed as of Monday morning, according to National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow. Speaking to reporters at the White...

Since the County of Santa Cruz issued a shelter-in-place order March 17, local artists have faced uncertain futures. With venues and schools closed and events either canceled or postponed, individuals and organizations are now out of work and struggling to get by.  According to Arts Council...