Opinion

One year after announcing a new research and development partnership to grow strawberries indoors, Watsonville-based Driscoll’s and Plenty Unlimited Inc. are building a new indoor vertical strawberry farm.  Together, the companies aim to accelerate the growth of Driscoll’s top crop by using Plenty’s growing platform. According...

WATSONVILLE—A new pilot program to inform residents of hazardous pesticide applications at area farmlands, under the umbrella of the Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, will go into motion in August.  The program was outlined by Agricultural Commissioner Juan Hidalgo at a community meeting at...

Responding to levee assessment concerns In response to Sandra Haven’s letter about things people should consider prior to voting on the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency’s proposed assessment for levee maintenance, I’d like to add the following considerations: The proposed assessment is for current and ongoing...

Congratulations St. Francis baseball! I hardly recognize you now. You are proof that the karmic wheel does turn, sometimes slowly, but it does turn. Just to remind, there’s been an orphanage or school on that hilltop since 1869, longer than most things around here. During...

Hospital rating is unacceptable This is the type of news that does us no good. This is not the only article that has placed Watsonville Community Hospital in a less than positive view for the general public. What is to be done about this current...

Dutra is the most qualified, hands down The time has come to make the choice for our next District 4 County Supervisor. Jimmy Dutra is the only one with an impeccable track record from his six-plus years as a city councilman and a year serving as...

In 2021, biotech company Blume Industries (BI) and Whiskey Hill Farms (WHF) became recipients of The Farmer Rancher Grant, a major grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Western Division of Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE). The grant aims to support farmers and...

Fermin Tobera should be a household name in Watsonville. It should be a name that is remembered and celebrated by all who have ever lived in the Pajaro Valley, and believe in justice, equality and progress. Sadly, it’s not, and that needs to change. Tobera...