Opinion

There is a unique term in Japanese that is used by Buddhists as they sit down to partake of a meal. The term in itadakimasu 頂きます. Before someone begins to eat they place their palms together and say the words itadakimasu. In a simple...

Every year around this time, choirs perform Handel’s Messiah (including in my own congregation). What is it about a piece of music written 260 years ago that still captures hearts today––in fact, especially today, as we endure our long, strange journey through the pandemic...

It’s been nearly two months since Jennie Gervasio was struck and killed as she was riding her bicycle on Main Street near Auto Center Drive.

Since my last message our clocks have sprung forward and Spring is here. As we move past the storms of the past several months, much-awaited federal help for our neighbors in Pajaro has arrived.  The President approved a major disaster declaration for Santa Cruz and...

Letters to the Editor, Nov. 30, 2018

Murals express culture Murals are about community and freedom of expression. In Watsonville, mural artist Jessica Evanjelista from the Arts Council of Santa Cruz County led Empower Watsonville, a youth-led group that focuses on expanding youth advocacy to implement more equitable policies, on a mural...

...the characters are paper thin, the visual effects look like a 1990s video game, the action set pieces are only passable and there are several scenes that have no purpose and bog down the pace. But its biggest flaw is that it is not funny. Not belly-lau

Three years ago, California did something truly remarkable and forward-looking by approving historic legislation that allocated a record $6 billion to bring equitable and affordable high-speed broadband service to all Californians.  The multi-year investment aimed to close the digital divide by building the largest “Middle...

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....