57.9 F
Watsonville
June 7, 2025

Annual Obon festival set for Sunday

The annual Obon Festival will take place July 21 at the Watsonville Buddhist Temple. Open to the public, the event will include entertainment, a vendor’s market, childrens’ games and an array of traditional foods. The festival culminates in a dance, known as Bon-Odori, which participants practice...

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...

Apple harvest wraps up at historic Corralitos orchard

It has not been an easy harvest season for California apples. When temperatures shot up into the 100s in August and September, sparking wildfires across the state and harming numerous agricultural commodities, apples were one of the hardest-hit crops. The fruit is susceptible to...

Photo story: Spirit of Watsonville approaching

Paola Fregoso (left) and Lorelai Oliveira are joined by their dog, Luna, Monday in a promotion of their fireworks for sale at the Watsonville High Junior Wildcatz stand. Their temporary fireworks stand, at 716 East Lake Ave., is one of close to two dozen...

Watsonville farm, biotech company receives major grant from USDA

Since 2009, Blume Industries (BI) and Whiskey Hill Farms (WHF) have jointly operated a research and development incubator in Watsonville, aiming to find regenerative solutions for food, fuel and waste management. And now they will have the opportunity to expand their reach, sharing what they...

Paso Robles Lavender Festival returns

Far more than just a pretty face, lavender — with its tiny purple blooms and distinctive perfume — has become one of the most popular plants all across the county. To celebrate its many purposes, the Central Coast Lavender Growers Association and Paso Rob

Assemblymember Rivas urges Gov. Newsom for more farmworker relief

Watsonville farmworkers
By Jazmine Juarez, Special to the Pajaronian WATSONVILLE—Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) is calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to take urgent steps to protect farmworkers and the food supply chain in the wake of COVID-19.  Following reports of 41 agricultural workers being diagnosed with COVID-19 in...

Event benefits Farm Discovery at Live Earth

“Pollinate!”, a farm to table, flower to table event, will be held Sept. 23 as Farm Discovery at Live Earth’s ninth annual farm dinner. It will feature local chefs, farmers, artisans and winemakers, celebrating the abundance of fruit and vegetable crops grown in the Santa Cruz area.

A cleaner future

Like many agricultural businesses in the Pajaro Valley, Sambrailo Packaging, the Watsonville-based packaging company that has been involved in the agricultural industry for the past 94 years, got its start in apples.

Rose Society to kick off pruning classes this weekend

WATSONVILLE—The Monterey Bay Rose Society (MBRS) will once again be holding its annual series of free rose pruning classes at various locations across the region. Things kick off Saturday at 10:30am at the Display Rose Garden at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2601 E. Lake...
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Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo

How Farmworkers Outlawed ‘El Cortito’ 50 Years Ago

For decades in the Salinas Valley, the short-handle hoe, known as “El Cortito,” was used for weeding and thinning rows of crops that kept...