News

Watsonville Police on Tuesday arrested a registered sex offender after he allegedly followed and inappropriately touched a 17-year-old girl. Kenneth Wilder, 31, has been charged with assault with intent to commit rape, stalking, annoying or molesting a minor and sexual battery.  As a registered sex offender,...

Nearly one year after she took the helm of the county’s largest school district, Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Heather Contreras sat down with The Pajaronian to talk about her accomplishments, and the ongoing challenges facing the district. “It’s been a long year, but...

A grassroots movement of citizens concerned about the construction of a new battery storage facility in Watsonville held a public meeting on Monday evening to discuss the dangers of such a project and rally local residents by passing around petitions and encouraging citizens to...

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a body that was found along the Pajaro River levee west of the Main Street Bridge that connects the community of Pajaro to Watsonville. On Monday the Sheriff's Office identified the man as 36-year-old Jesus Alfonso Duarte Figueroa...

John Kegebein demonstrates an early day, hand-pump vacuum at the Agricultural History Project's table during the annual Business Expo at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Thursday. “The businesses and people of the Pajaro Valley came together at the Expo to show what a fabulous...

The Santa Cruz County Fair is seeking a new leader. The 14th District Agricultural Association and Santa Cruz County Fair is accepting applications for its Fair Manager, who is responsible for the day-to-day operations of our 105-acre fairgrounds in Watsonville, including planning and managing the...

The Elkhorn Slough Foundation (ESF) launched a new “Elkhorn Forever” campaign with a kick-off celebration Tuesday, with the goal of raising $12 million. Held at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve Visitor Center, the effort aims to ensure the long-term health of Elkhorn Slough’s ...

Forty five years of performances, instruction and celebration of Mexican folkloric dance culture was splashed across the Crocker Theater stage at Cabrillo College in three electrifying performances by Watsonville’s Esperanza del Valle on April 4, 5 and 6 in Aptos. The nearly three-hour program, “Espirítu...

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously agreed to voice their opposition to proposed federal legislation that would require voter ID and retool voter eligibility requirements nationwide, which County Clerk Tricia Weber says would make it harder for many U.S. citizens...

A March 14 executive order by President Donald Trump targeting federal funding for libraries and museums—among other things—will leave no community untouched. But the impact will vary throughout the state. Both the Santa Cruz County Public Library and the Watsonville Public Library systems receive millions...