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Watsonville
March 18, 2026

Miguelina Manriquez, Nov. 2: Education matters — now more than ever

While most kids grew up running around their daycare after school, I grew up hanging out in my parents’ classrooms. Both of my parents work in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District — a district that is severely underfunded. This district is largely populated by low-income, immigrant families.

Supervisor’s Update: Stronger together

santa cruz county supervisor felipe hernandez
The start of the New Year greeted all of us with more water than any of us, including meteorologists, had anticipated. And again, this past week our neighbors in Pajaro were devastatingly flooded. Although Pajaro isn’t technically a part of Watsonville or Santa Cruz...

Guest View: Measure N is vital to hospital’s success

In 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake significantly damaged a hospital that had served the community of Watsonville for decades. Devastated by the earthquake, the nonprofit Watsonville Community Hospital (WCH) had to be sold to a for-profit corporation. In 2022, it returned to community ownership.  Still,...

It’s an old story

Rev. Robin Mathews-Johnson
It’s an old story. It would be hilarious if it weren’t so sad. A young soldier fighting in Italy during World War II managed to jump into a foxhole just ahead of a spray of bullets. He immediately attempted to deepen the hole for more...

Ask Nicole: Giving Thanks

letters to the editor
I often start this monthly column with a true story about my experiences as a parent. Writing about my own parenting challenges is like giving myself free therapy. I relive memories of difficult situations, work through my emotions in a safe environment (my office,...

Australia, a country on fire | On My Mind

Major bush fires continue to burn in Australia garnering worldwide concern. Thus far 24 fatalities have been reported, including three volunteer firefighters, and experts are assuming that entire species of animals and plant life will be wiped out by the fires, according to various...

Kirk Schmidt: Fire in the Sky a spectacular time

Fourth of July fireworks are, by definition, spectacular. Spectacular is what 9,000 (est.) people, who came to the Watsonville Municipal Airport, and many more in surrounding neighborhoods, said on Tuesday night, a fabulous pyrotechnic display to celebrat

Supervisor’s Update: Equity: From commitment to action

santa cruz county supervisor felipe hernandez
In the heart of Santa Cruz County, our community is rallying around a powerful commitment to equity.  Our recent equity statement reflects a transformative spirit, embracing every individual with support, dignity and compassion. Together, we're striving for systemic changes to address historical underfunding, language barriers,...

Letters to the Editor, Oct. 9

How do we reform a broken system?  “The land of the free and the home of the brave”...a validation of America and its resemblance. Yet we are free no more; politically bonded to our nation’s injustice is considered a free world. Through the oppressors; the...
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A Watsonville firefighter cleans up at the scene of a two-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon on Center Street in Watsonville.

Photo Story: Two-vehicle crash on Center Street

A Watsonville firefighter cleans up at the scene of a two-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon on Center Street in Watsonville. Watsonville police said the female...