Opinion

I cannot remember the first time I visited Kelly’s bookstore. I had previously known it as Crossroads Books back in high school. It was within a short walking distance from Pajaro Valley High School, and I had a habit of stopping by after school.  I’d...

As long-time elected representatives for the northernmost and southernmost reaches of Santa Cruz County, we believe the community conversation over the Rail Trail should be thoughtful, respectful, and inclusive. We have sought to model those ideals both through our respective roles within county and...

When I first heard that the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds would be hosting its first-ever drive-thru Christmas lights event, I was both excited and surprised.  Considering the limited budget and resources the Fairgrounds is currently dealing with after not being able to hold its premiere...

Memo from Rev. Mathews-Johnson I love the old story that goes like this: A group of young children were sitting in a circle with their teacher. She was going around asking each of them questions. “Davy, what noise does a cow make?” He said, “It goes...

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...

Donations greatly appreciated  On behalf of the Watsonville High School Performing Arts Department, I would like to thank several individuals who have recently donated instruments to our school. The first being the family of Jim and Marion Rector for their recent donation of a beautiful...

With the theme “Cowboy Up and Wind Down,” the 2017 Salinas Valley Fair brought thousands of visitors to South County and featured the annual Junior Livestock Auction, which raked in $2.1 million from the sale of 950 animals.

We went to see the current situation of the Murphy Crossing Bridge area on Jan. 21 after we learned that there was a possibility of flooding in that area the next morning.  We measured the height between the bottom of the river and the bottom...

California’s Latino community has lost its greatest voting rights gladiator. Last Friday, the legendary civil rights lawyer Joaquin G. Avila lost his battle to cancer after previously suffering from a stroke. No one was more accomplished than him when it came to fighting for Latino political empowerment and representation.