Local News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—When the pandemic hit one year ago, the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter (SCCAS) was forced to shut down its Healthy Pets For All (HPFA) program, which offered residents free pop-up veterinary clinics. During the first months of the crisis, SCCAS found ways...

Watsonville artist Josefina Rocha (right) works on a new piece of art Saturday inside the Porter Building during the Arts Council Santa Cruz County’s 37th annual Open Studios Art Tour. This year features 322 artists that open their studios across Santa Cruz County to...

Traffic is channeled into one lane in each direction in what once was both southbound lanes of Freedom Boulevard Thursday as major improvement work continues. Joshua Nol of McKim Corporation said all traffic has been shifted to the west side of the road, while...

The County of Monterey Department of Emergency Management has begun testing a new Alert Monterey County emergency alert software and system, and Watsonville residents may receive notifications, officials advised.  Residents in certain areas of Monterey County began receiving emergency test messages earlier this week. More...

Field workers start in on a harvest of fresh strawberries for the California Giant label on a farm off of Lee Road.

The 25th annual Peace and Unity March filed through Watsonville Sunday during a break in stormy weather to mark the gang-related deaths of more than 90 people both in Watsonville and Salinas.

The Pajaronian’s website received a complete overhaul Wednesday. The Pajaronian, the news leader of the Pajaro Valley since 1868, launched the new, intuitive design to improve and streamline our readers’ digital experience. The new website can be found at pajaronian.com.  Additionally, the website for our monthly Life...

Pajaro Valley Unified School District is beginning the new school year with rising test scores at several campuses, students taking a larger role in shaping district policy and construction poised to begin on a long-awaited performing arts center at Pajaro Valley High School. In an...

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously declared a state of emergency after the Jan. 16 fire at the Vistra battery storage facility in Moss Landing, a move that allows county officials to better respond to the disaster, and to request state...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) will host a gathering at Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) tonight to celebrate the organization’s first cohort of Cine se Puede fellows.  The Cine se Puede fellowship launched last year. It offers support to local up-and-coming filmmakers through a financial stipend,...