Salvation Army shutters its shelter
On Saturday morning, 48-year-old Gerardo Gutierrez was one of about a dozen men sitting in the day room at Salvation Army’s Watsonville location, quietly watching an old Vicente Fernández film playing silently on a television mounted to the ceiling.
The men—most of them homeless—had stayed...
This Week in Pajaro Valley’s Past, July 23
25 years ago on July 20, 1996
Corralitos has its eyes on a prize, and many residents are working hard to win it. The prize is a library, and ultimately a cultural center. Betty Allen and Joyce Medeiros are part of the group spearheading the...
Man arrested for attempted murder
An 18-year-old Watsonville man was arrested Friday morning on suspicion of attempted murder.
Watsonville Police spokeswoman MIchelle Pulido said detectives served multiple search warrants linked to this case and arrested the suspect, Antwan Magaña.
On Feb. 10, WPD Officers responded to reports of a shooting on...
PVUSD names new superintendent
Pajaro Valley Unified School District on Friday named its new superintendent.
The district’s Board of Trustees appointed Heather Contreras in closed session during its March 13 board meeting.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Heather Contreras as our new Superintendent,” Board President Georgia Acosta stated in...
Local water agency works toward long-term drought solutions
In 1983, a group of local farmers looking for ways to manage the Pajaro Valley’s groundwater basin formed the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency (PVWMA). A year later, the agency was officially recognized by the state legislature, who tasked them to stop groundwater overdraft...
Letter to the Editor, Feb. 27: Attacks on Community Bridges unwarranted
Letter to the Editor, Feb. 27, 2018
Opening 2020 together | On My Mind
On New Year’s Eve my neighbor Jan invited me to join her and a bunch of our neighbors for a bonfire in her front yard to help close out 2019 and usher in a warm beginning to 2020. By 7 p.m. she had an...
Guest View: Fairgrounds future looks fraught
As a news reporter, I attended Santa Cruz County Fair Board of Directors meetings for years, sometimes covering scandalous fair managers and scarce finances. What I saw recently at the Feb. 28 fair board meeting was disturbing on a level I’d never before have...
Jack Gordon for Superior Court Judge | Letters to the Editor
Jack Gordon for Superior Court Judge
On March 3, voters will have the opportunity to select Jack Gordon, an exemplary candidate for Superior Court Judge, who has a long term history and breadth of public safety, legal and community service experience that sets him apart....
Open Farm Tours highlights sustainable growers
At Blossom’s Farm in Corralitos, owners Delmar McComb and Carin Fortin are doing things differently.
A “biodynamic” farm, Blossom’s attempts to be self-sustaining—utilizing land, plants and animals to create a single living organism, which is a concept introduced by Rudolf Steinfer in 1924.
“We are trying...
Jim Barsi—owner of Barsi’s Liquor Store—dies
James Joseph “Jim” Barsi, who ran his eponymous liquor store on East Lake Avenue for a half-century before selling the business and retiring in...






















