News

A group of educators, union officials and pesticide reform advocates have sued the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner, alleging they have repeatedly allowed dangerous pesticides to be used near schools. The lawsuit was filed March 29 in Monterey County...

After months of work promoting Measure N—efforts that included going door to door in the vast Pajaro Valley Health Care District (PVHCD)—officials can now begin to envision how they will use the $116 million to improve Watsonville Community Hospital. But it could be several months...

After working as a manager at Freedom Meat Lockers for nearly three decades, William Panis was ready to set off on his own. His new butcher shop—Willie’s Meat Market—is located at 20 Mariposa off Freedom Boulevard.  He offers a wide selection of meat, sausage and bacon,...

In the coming years, as the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors oversees more than 30 departments under their jurisdiction, they will have to grapple with increasing numbers of natural disasters spurred by climate change, as well as homelessness and the housing crisis, and...

The Circus has come to town, this time at Ramsay Park on Main Street in Watsonville.  Circus Royal Spectacular—out of Las Vegas—rolled into town Tuesday, and crews quickly began driving giant tent stakes into the softball diamond  to set up their mammoth bigtop tent. Circus spokesperson...

Thousands of people across Santa Cruz County—and millions more throughout the U.S.—took a pause late Monday morning to look to the skies for a phenomenon that will not happen again for two decades. Californians saw only 30% of the sun being blotted out by the...

The California Highway Patrol closed north and southbound lanes of Highway 1 in Soquel Saturday at 7pm to make way for Granite Construction crews to demolish the 1948 Capitola Avenue bridge above the highway. The closure and carefully crafted detour between Bay/Porter and Park Avenue...

These are a collection of images from our photojournalist Tarmo Hannula that did not make it into stories, but we think should be enjoyed. Do you have a photo you’d like to be considered for our gallery? Send it to [email protected].

Art instructors from 16 schools in Pajaro Valley Unified School District hung more than 400 pieces of student artwork in the Civic Plaza Building March 28 as part of the Annual PVUSD Student Art Exhibit. The art will be shown for the next year on...