Local News

When the Pajaro River Levee broke during heavy winter rains in March, floodwaters rushed into the town of Pajaro, displacing hundreds of residents and businesses. It also inundated Pajaro Middle School, forcing the school to close while work crews and district officials assessed the damage...

Monterey County officials hosted a town hall meeting Sept. 20 to allow residents to get information and share concerns about three fires at the Moss Landing Lithium Ion Battery Energy Storage System. The two-hour meeting in Castroville included Monterey County Supervisor Glenn Church, Senator John...

A local woman who leads Granite Construction’s sustainability program traveled to New York on Sept. 17, where she was recognized by the United Nations’ Global Compact Network USA, a program that encourages companies to follow human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption principles. Sustainability Manager Raven...

A Watsonville man who last year arranged a meeting for sex with someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl was sentenced Thursday to two years of probation and a 120-day suspended jail sentence. Valentin Rodriguez, 63, must also register for life as a sex offender. Rodriguez,...

​​Former Pajaronian editor to sign books In 1971, three men pulled off a daring robbery of an armored car in the Central Valley and escaped with more than $200,000. They were never caught, and the money was never traced. Three decades later, a retired insurance investigator,...

A new laundromat has opened in the East Lake Village Shopping Center.  Owner Robert Ruiz said Laundry Room features 30 driers and 35 heavy-duty washing machines that can handle from two to eight loads (80 pounds) of wash. The 2,000-square-foot facility, which replaces a former laundromat...

A Watsonville woman nearly lost thousands of dollars Wednesday by falling victim to a version of the so-called “grandparent scam.” According to the Federal Communications Commission, scammers posing as a loved one in a crisis call a relative to ask for money, telling their targets...

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved the contract for a new assistant superintendent to oversee the district’s 16 elementary schools. Claudia Monjaras currently serves as Director of Curriculum and Instruction. She previously served as principal at Hall District Elementary...

In the eight years since the U.S. Supreme Court made same-sex marriage the law of the land, people across the globe have grown increasingly accepting of the LGBTQ community. Still, pockets of discrimination and bigotry remain. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, nearly 500...

Stephen Gray was officially hired as CEO of Watsonville Community Hospital on Wednesday. With a 4-1 vote, the Pajaro Valley Health Care District Board approved Gray’s contract, less than a week after the hospital corporation announced him as its selection. Board member Joe Gallagher dissented. Hospital...