Irrigation enhancement project helps farmers regulate water usage
A new irrigation enhancement project has seen positive results for farmers in the San Joaquin Valley.
Guest View: Hurt people, hurt people
For seven years in the 1970s I taught elementary school at Hall District School in Las Lomas. My students were virtually identical to those massacred in Uvalde, Texas. Apparently, “my” children watched for almost an hour while their teachers and friends were being blown...
Lakeside Organic Gardens celebrates 25 years
When Dick Peixoto decided in 1996 to convert his 55-acre farm in Watsonville to an organic production, he wasn’t sure if he’d made the right decision.
Peixoto had been farming conventionally for years, and back then, organic produce was a specialty—something only smaller farms tended...
Ask Nicole: Simple summertime ideas
When I was a child, Summer. Lasted. For. Ever. I remember long days that usually began with picking beans and then weeds in the hot sun, followed by endless hours of playing (and bickering) with my siblings in the hot sun. By the end...
On my mind, Aug. 26: Three big losses
It is with great sadness that I write about the passing of three important friends, who I believe played a huge role in shaping the fabric of Watsonville: Jim Rector, master home builder, Peggy Avalos, site manager at the Watsonville Senior Center through Community Bridges, and Lorraine Stucki, community activist and former Couch Distributing worker.
Ag industries buoyed by federal loans
CENTRAL COAST—The Paycheck Protection Program helped save at least 17,000 agricultural jobs throughout the tri-county area, according to data released by the Small Business Administration on July 6.
The program, a part of the more than $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES)...
Strawberry industry settles after hectic start to season
Strawberry season in the Pajaro Valley is in full swing, and experts are reporting that demand has steadily increased despite a difficult kickoff.
As the Covid-19 pandemic hit the California region in mid-March, strawberry producers initially saw a spike in sales. But it was soon...
Powerful winds topple trees and power lines, prompt tornado warning
Winds were so strong Saturday night that meteorologists issued a tornado warning on the Central Coast including for Elkhorn and Prunedale, as well as areas around Aptos and Watsonville.
Just after 8pm, some residents reported seeing a “funnel cloud” touch down on the 700 block...
Santa Cruz, Monterey counties to test wireless emergency system Thursday
Officials in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties will conduct a test of the Wireless Emergency Alert system on Thursday, sending emergency messages to mobile...






















