A lesson from the temptation of Jesus
The 40 days of Lent observed in Christianity begins with the story of Jesus who fasted for 40 days in the wilderness immediately following his baptism. It is as if before Jesus began his ministry, he needed to go through a spiritual boot camp...
Letters to the Editor, March 18
We stand with LGBTQ+ people
We are a group of LGBTQ+ and allies in fifth through eighth grade at Watsonville Charter School of the Arts, and are members of our Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs. We were very upset to learn about the hate crime...
Pajaro Valley loses another giant
It has been a tough few months for the Pajaro Valley. Back in December, we lost the great Lou Arbanas, a key historian with the Pajaro Valley Historical Association. Then, in January, Judy Doering Nielsen, a stalwart volunteer who served as Watsonville Mayor, died....
Spring Equinox
In the next few weeks, we will turn our clocks forward and then later in March the first day of Spring will arrive. The Buddhist celebration of the Spring Equinox is called Ohigan in Japanese. This year’s celebration takes on greater significance as we begin...
Measure U apathy is troubling
At the moment, it seems that there is a very small number of Watsonville residents that have a grasp of the enormous question they will face in the November election.
That is extremely troubling.
Come Nov. 8, Watsonville voters will decide whether they would like to...
An economy of neighborliness
I recently heard an interview with Hebrew Bible scholar, Dr. Walter Brueggemann. When asked about the atonement—a much discussed and much argued Christian theological concept—Brueggemann replied, “I’m much more interested in the economy than I am in atonement.” He went on to explain that...
Letters to the Editor, March 4
We must address homelessness
On Wednesday morning I went to our dog groomers, Vanity Fur, at 10 Alexander St. in Watsonville. There was a huge mound of black garbage bags near their door and I wondered if they were going out of business. As I...
Happy birthday, Pajaronian
On Saturday the Pajaronian will celebrate 154 years of service to the community. It’s difficult to put into words the impact this newspaper has had on the Pajaro Valley since J.A. Cottle, the first owner, editor and publisher, established the Weekly Pajaronian in 1868....
Don’t quit now
I just finished an article headlined, “Looming Mass Exodus of School Principals Feared This Summer.” That was right after another column titled: “Houses of Worship Face Clergy Shortage as Many Resign During Pandemic.” And there’s this from a few months ago: “After a Nightmare...
Letters to the Editor, Feb. 25
Thank you, John Laird
The Democratic Women’s Club (DWC) of Santa Cruz County thanks State Senator John Laird for his swift action on introducing legislation to save the Watsonville Community Hospital, recently purchased by the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District Project, a consortium of government agencies and...
Mariners ‘pour’ on the points for an upset win over Palo...
The quest for a sixth Central Coast Section title continues for Aptos following another stunning win this week in the Division III playoffs.
Senior running...