Mutual respect
I wish to share the merit of writing this work equally with all beings,
So that we may all awaken aspiration for Bodhi and together attain birth in the Land of Peace and Bliss.
The above English translation was written by a Chinese Buddhist monk by...
Watching war crimes as we prepare for Easter
As I write this, images of atrocities in the city of Bucha, a suburb of Kiev, Ukraine, are crossing our screens. Executed civilians, hands bound, lying prostrate on the road. Neighborhoods targeted and destroyed, leaving innocent Ukrainians in the wake. A cyclist, seemingly shot...
Parks and recreation update
By Rebecca J. Garcia, Watsonville Mayor
All my grandchildren learned to swim through the Watsonville summer aquatics program. They went underwater, they floated, they played and they swam. So much fun. However, there will be no summer aquatics program this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic....
God, guns and a confused nation
The early Christian church, up until the conversion of Roman Emperor Constantine in 312 C.E., was by and large a pacifist religion. Christian, the noun, came from those outside the religion describing Jesus’ followers as people who were trying to be little-Christs or Christ-ians....
John Song: A meaning behind ‘Thank You’
John Houseman, the British-American actor following his Academy-winning role as Prof. Kingsfield in “The Paper Chase,” became more famous for his commercials for the brokerage firm Smith Barney. His signature look was wearing a bowtie with a three-piece Oxford tweed suit and reading glasses...
Three ways to help friends in crisis
Memo from Pastor Rene
A friend who is a local marriage and family therapist told me recently she’s booked solid with Zoom counseling sessions every day. “People are feeling so much anxiety now,” she said, “more than I’ve ever seen in my practice.” Stress from...
From the editor's desk, Dec. 7: Education is the key to pedestrian safety
Recently, I was driving on South Green Valley Road near the Kralj Drive intersection, when I noticed a bicyclist about two car-lengths ahead of me cruising along in the bike lane.
Mayor’s Update: Stay prepared
As we entered the second week of March, we once again prepared for storms and another atmospheric river event that was expected to bring heavy rains and flooding. The City is working tirelessly with many partners to prepare and be ready to assist our...
Hospital fundraising nears the finish line
In Santa Cruz County, keeping our communities healthy is a collaborative effort by many health care service providers, and Watsonville Community Hospital is an essential piece of that puzzle.
For several months now, Watsonville Community Hospital has been teetering on the verge of closure and...
Aptos wins first-ever CCS championship in school history | Boys soccer
The Aptos High boys’ soccer team went on an unprecedented postseason run during the 2025-26 winter season.
It began with bringing home the program’s first-ever...





















