John Skinner, Nov. 21: How Trump is making America great again
When Donald Trump began his run for the office of president with the slogan “Make America Great Again,” my thought was, “When was America not great? What is wrong with the country?”
Annual Artichoke Festival returns June 3-4
The Castroville Artichoke Food & Wine Festival will return to the Monterey County Fair and Event Center for two full days of cooking demonstrations, activities, exhibits and entertainment.
Movie Review: 'Lady Bird' is a real, funny, moving coming-of-age story
“Lady Bird” is a story about people, about finding one’s self and about being comfortable in one’s skin. There are no real villains, there’s hardly any fluff and there are no end-of-the-world stakes here — even if the titular character feels as if everything happening to her might as well mark the end of times. This film is real. It doesn’t pander to its audience and it takes its time to build up its characters, which carry it from start to credits.
Year In Review: Highlighting the good in a challenging year
Around this time last year, I wrote that 2020 was “a year that changed the world.” And I stand by that. But in my opinion, 2021 was just as challenging, if not harder. Sure, we got to see friends and family again, maybe go...
Sandy Lydon: The plan to obliterate Santa Cruz County
There were 27 original counties when California became a state on Sept. 9, 1850, but adjusting boundaries and forming new ones was nowhere near finished. From 1850 to 1907 the California Legislature made 35 major changes or created new ones. Imperial County, born in...
Movie Review: 'A Cure for Wellness' not quite a comeback for Verbinski
“A Cure for Wellness” is not quite what I expected or would have wished for from Verbinski, but it challenged me enough that I can say I’m excited for him to do something similar but not as convoluted or heavy.
From the editor's desk, Oct. 17: A disastrous series of events
Too close to home, the deadliest wildfires in California’s history are destroying lives and scorching the northern areas of the state.
Powerful winds topple trees and power lines, prompt tornado warning
Winds were so strong Saturday night that meteorologists issued a tornado warning on the Central Coast including for Elkhorn and Prunedale, as well as areas around Aptos and Watsonville.
Just after 8pm, some residents reported seeing a “funnel cloud” touch down on the 700 block...
Movie Review: 'Blockers' is a nice surprise — butt-chugging and all
“Blockers” is a sometimes raunchy, overly slapstick comedy in the vain of “The 40 Year Old Virgin,” “Superbad” and “American Pie.” And like those classic comedies, director Kay Cannon’s coming-of-age story not only has plenty of a laughs, but it also oozes heart and asks several interesting questions, including an extremely timely challenge to the double standard placed on women. It’s fun and funny — yes, they are different things — while also not being too preachy.
Watsonville Plaza project moves ahead
A crew from Community Tree Service removed several large trees and trimmed back several others Monday and Tuesday at Watsonville Plaza as part of...

















