Opinion

Taking care of our health is one of the most important things in life. But for many in Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley, getting the care and support they need has not always been easy. That’s why the Pajaro Valley Health Care District (PVHCD)...

The long-awaited return to in-person instruction for all Pajaro Valley Unified School District students begins on April 5. As we build our “new normal,” our commitment is to make the most of our instructional time. For this reason, at our Feb. 24 Board meeting,...

Questioning God’s character and promises? Welcome to the Bible! Most readers of the Bible spend little time in the book of Lamentations, a short book of five poems composed by an anonymous Hebrew poet, reflecting on the fall of Jerusalem in the 6th century BCE....

By Jason Johnston We know that the suffering and death of Covid-19 has been far more severe in our local communities of color, particularly the Latinx communities in South County. And we would like to believe that we live in a community with progressive values,...

It is so easy, ridiculously easy, to simply point at someone else and say, “He’s not in our group.”  Ever felt that way? I know I have, but I confess I’m not proud of it.  Even churches make that mistake. Arthur Herman’s book “How the...

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...

Since September, on orders from President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the U.S. military has executed air strikes on more than 21 vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean.  Many of these vessels have been identified as fishing boats,...

Respect our leaders  I am a Ph.D. in agriculture and marine research in the Monterey Bay for the past 50 years. I have read about and seen nearly every political regime, agricultural and oceanic issue as it relates to Monterey Bay during those last five...

I grew up in Watsonville and have lived and worked in the Pajaro Valley all my life. I have been an agronomist, scientifically analyzing agricultural soils in California and throughout the United States. I have studied thousands of different soils, and I can say...