Farm Bureau’s Spring Luncheon returns March 16
WATSONVILLE—March is National Agriculture Month, a time meant to honor the role of the agricultural industry in the United States. National Ag Day 2022, organized by the Agriculture Council of America, will land on March 23, with activities and contests held nationwide.
For the first...
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...
Embrace yourself
“Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind,
had settled on us as the focus of his love,
to be made whole and holy by his love.”
- Ephesians 1:4
This is a Yiddish story of “Mr. Goldberg the Tailor.”
There once lived Mr. Goldberg,...
Cultivating fruit
One of my favorite passages in the Christian scriptures comes from Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia. Perhaps surprisingly, the reason I love it so much is how not-religious it is.
The passage sets up a contrast between disparate ways we can choose to...
What should replace Kmart?
It’s been more than half a year since the Kmart on Freedom Boulevard closed its doors for good. And as someone who constantly drives past the shell of the former community hotspot, it pains me to see what that location has become. On top...
100 year flood protection is within grasp for Pajaro, Watsonville
Now, let’s say the levees that protect your home from flooding are old and deficient. They could fail during the next big storm, causing a major flood. The federal and state government offer to pay $400 million for new and improved levees. The only...
Fighting the pandemic of contempt
When my wife Laurie and I teach at marriage retreats we often refer to the work of Dr. John Gottman. In his famous “glass house” at the University of Washington, Gottman has studied thousands of married couples over decades of research to see what...
Community comes together to repaint Black Lives Matter mural
More than 40 volunteers spent hours Saturday refreshing the massive Black Lives Matter street mural that is sprawled along Center Street in front of...