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Watsonville
March 19, 2026

Quick-thinking pharmacist thwarts armed robbery

Sometimes, armed robbery does not pay off. A pharmacist was working at the CVS store on Rodriguez Street at about 11:40am on Feb. 4 when a man wearing a ski mask demanded Oxycontin. But instead of giving the man what he wanted, the pharmacist told...

PVUSD administrators fight for raises

pvusd trustees
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on April 5 heard a report on the salaries of its management-level employees such as principals and cabinet-level administrators. The review was requested on March 8 by Board Vice President Georgia Acosta, during which the Trustees...

Richard Del Piero, one of PVUSD’s founders, dies

Richard Del Piero
WATSONVILLE—Richard Del Piero was a Watsonville High School graduate, a U.S. Air Force Veteran and a local farmer who as a school board member in the 1960s helped reign in several local education agencies to create the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.  Del Piero died...

PV Pride welcomes new leaders

June is Pride Month, a time dedicated to honoring and achieving equal justice and opportunity for LGBTQ+ Americans. It is an observance of the Stonewall riots in 1969, but also a celebration, with cities across the country hosting marches, parades and other events. Santa Cruz...

Photo story: A new look

A new outdoor mural was unveiled Aug.16 at Callaghan Park. The work is a project by Teen Artes, a group project under the umbrella of the Pajaro Valley Arts. (Photo by Tarmo Hannula)

County fire officials gear up for potentially ‘active’ season

santa cruz county fire season
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—If Sunday’s Basin Fire is any indication of what 2021’s fire season will bring, San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit Chief Ian Larkin and the mountains surrounding Santa Cruz County are in for a bumpy ride this fire season. The roughly 7-acre blaze among the...

Pajaro floods wreak havoc on agriculture

pajaro river mcgowan road farm flood
PAJARO—With hundreds of acres of farmland still underwater Thursday, farmers are unsure how the recent flood will affect their businesses. At the same time, employees are unable to return to work, and many who were evacuated are still unsure if they will have a...

Shoppers hustle for the holidays

Tarmo Hannula President Donald Trump was impeached Wednesday by the House of Representatives on two articles, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. We’ve all heard Trump’s unending list of labels for this: lies, sham, fraud, hoax, shameful, scam, witch hunt, distortion, untruthful, mean, disastrous...

Wildfire sparks evacuations in Royal Oaks

vega road fire
A rapidly spreading wildland fire broke out Wednesday afternoon around 1:30pm, forcing people from their homes and scrambling to save pets.  By the time firefighters arrived, flames were charging up a steep wooded hillside on the 100 block of Vega Road while a towering column...

City voting records show candidates’ views on issues

Watsonville City Councilman Jimmy Dutra and Cabrillo College Governing Board Trustee Felipe Hernandez are vying for the 4th District seat on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors in the Nov. 8 election. In last week's Pajaronian, we took a look at the candidates’ 500-word...
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Watsonville Film Festival wraps up 14th year

Twenty short films by area students not only filled the big screen at Green Valley Cinemas Sunday afternoon. The program by the Watsonville Film...