60.6 F
Watsonville
September 18, 2025

Embrace yourself

Rev. John Song
“Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.” - Ephesians 1:4 This is a Yiddish story of “Mr. Goldberg the Tailor.” There once lived Mr. Goldberg,...

Guest view: California needs a universal broadband infrastructure bond for our students

By Luis A. Alejo, Kevin de León and Eduardo Garcia  On July 17, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that counties on the state’s Covid-19 “monitoring list” must begin the new school year with distance learning. More than half of our state’s counties are on the list,...

Movie Review: 'The Last Jedi' feels bloated, empty at same time

Truth is, “The Last Jedi” feels more like a filler television episode than the grand galactic opera the series is known for. There is no doubt that this film is beautiful and it definitely has the whimsical DNA that has kept the franchise trucking forward for 40 years. But the eighth installment in this storyline feels a bit empty, has some weird tonal problems and sticks around longer than it should.

Guest View: State keeps expanding school curricula while key subjects need improvement

Recently, the attorney general’s office completed paperwork for an initiative that, if qualified for the 2024 ballot and approved by voters, would require California’s nearly 6 million public school students to take a course in personal finance. The proposal, by an organization called Californians for...

Faith sees obstacles as opportunities

Memo from Pastor Rene Schlaepfer
The surprising success this season of the San Francisco Giants had me thinking the other day of Dave Dravecky. Beloved by Giants fans, Dravecky was a popular pitcher until a tumor invaded his throwing arm. After surgery he forged a surprising comeback—until the cancer...

Theo Wierdsma column: Counting the votes

Joseph Stalin famously remarked that in an election, “Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything.” While stakeholders in our democratic system insist that our votes count, in reality, given our electoral system, which consistently features two major political parties, in...

Letters to the Editor, May 18

Letters to the Editor, May 18, 2018

Is there no balm in Gilead … or anywhere?

Rev. Robby Olson
Looking over the suffering of his people, the prophet Jeremiah cries out in grief and dismay, "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?” (Jeremiah 8:22) That is, is there no comfort for the suffering? Is there no relief for the...

Letters to the Editor, July 1

letter to the editor pajaronian
Health Trust must be on right side of history The Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley was created through proceeds from the sale of Watsonville Community Hospital to a private entity in 1998. More than $13 million was placed into a trust to benefit the...

Letter to the Editor, Nov. 7: You’ve got that haunted feeling

Letter to the Editor, Nov. 7, 2017
7,695FansLike
4,949FollowersFollow
2,895FollowersFollow

County unveils “transformative” youth crisis center

For years, Santa Cruz County lacked a youth crisis center, meaning that young people experiencing a mental health crisis were taken to overloaded emergency...