News

WATSONVILLE—When the nonprofit Defend Our Health tested bottle caps from 141 beverage brands, they found potentially harmful chemicals in more than a third of them. Two Martinelli’s products were among these brands, but the Watsonville-based apple juice and cider company says it is now...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—When Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel revised her shelter-in-place order on May 1, she relaxed restrictions on summer programs such as daycare and day camp, allowing families to begin planning activities for their kids after months of restrictions. The announcement came...

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District on Wednesday will consider a proposal to close Pacific Coast Charter School after declining enrollment and chronic absenteeism made the school financially unsustainable. Located in the district’s headquarters, the hybrid school opened in 1999 and has an enrollment of...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville will have yet another tool that it could use to try to fix its housing shortage if the City Council follows the Planning Commission’s recommendations to approve wholesale changes to rules for accessory dwelling units (ADUs), also known as “granny flats” or “granny...

Watsonville Police are investigating a shooting that sent a man to the hospital with two gunshot wounds.

Do you have a photo you'd like to share with the community? Email it to @pajaronian.com or send by mail to 21 Brennan St., Ste. 14, Watsonville, CA, 95076 for consideration. Please include a brief description of the photo as well as the name...

Several students from New School took garden tools in hand and ventured into Watsonville’s hinterlands on Nov. 8, where they uprooted unwanted plants and made way for beneficial native ones.

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 Santa Cruz man suspected of having 10 stolen vehicles was arrested Friday after a brief armed standoff with police. Ryan Michael Peterson, 44, was charged with vehicle theft, receiving stolen property and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He was...

The program has grown in popularity, and always has a waiting list of kids hoping to score a spot in one of two coveted weeklong sessions.