On My Mind: Slowly returning to normal
Last week my wife Sarah and I joined our friends Craig and Norma for dinner at Johnny’s Harborside restaurant in the Santa Cruz Harbor. It was the first time any of us have enjoyed a sit down meal indoors since November due to pandemic...
Jimmy Dutra: METRO’s dramatic recovery maintains viable public transit options for county residents
Three years ago, in 2014, Santa Cruz METRO, your county public transit system, was in dire financial straits, with insolvency being a real threat within a couple of years.
Letter: Pitching the valley
I’m here today to give you a pitch,
A burning desire,
It’s more than an itch,
Underscoring the fact
that this valley’s so rich
Painting a picture
imagine this course
Make a reality
Our place mighty force.
The nature, the earth, the sea, and the sloughs
The farms, and the people,
so good and so...
Letters to the Editor, Oct. 31: Tommy Gugale’s family thanks community
Letters to the Editor, Oct. 31, 2017
Ask Nicole: Tips for dads and father figures
I have many happy childhood memories of my dad playing the guitar and singing, instigating competitive croquet tournaments (which he usually won), and teaching my siblings and I how to use tools then creating a “workshop” in the garage so we could experiment with...
Healing Together: The Progress and Promise of Watsonville Community Hospital
Trust is not built on words alone—it is forged through action, teamwork, and empathy. This holds true in times of prosperity, but is even more critical during hardship and crisis. Few experiences unite people like the shared journey from loss to pain, to recovery,...
The Best of the Pajaro Valley, decided by you
Mid-January is one of my favorite times of the year. The NFL playoffs are just getting started, and my San Francisco 49ers don’t stink this year, which is a plus. The weather is starting to heat up to the perfect temperature in which I...
This Week in Pajaro Valley’s Past, July 2
25 years ago on July 1, 1996
Watsonville’s Spirit of Watsonville Committee organized a full schedule of fun across the Pajaro Valley leading up to the annual Grand Parade on the Fourth of July. The weekend prior had live banda music and dancing in the...
Movie Review: Schumer, Hawn combo saves so-so 'Snatched'
Directed by Jonathan Levine (“Warm Bodies,” “50/50”) and written by Katie Dippold (“Ghostbusters”), “Snatched” does absolutely nothing new or special — or better than good, for that matter — but it does what a comedy should: make you laugh.
Students learn the power of the vote at Civics Summit
On Friday, about 150 high school juniors from across Santa Cruz County cast their first ballots on three issues that, if passed, would dramatically...



















