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...
Life’s doors
Memo from Rev. Mathews-Johnson:
Doors. We use them every day. We open them. We close them. We lock them. We knock on them. We stand outside them. We stand inside them. They lock us in. They lock us out. They keep us safe. They keep...
Kindergarteners visit Watsonville’s Crystal Bay Farm
WATSONVILLE—Thick fog rolled in and blanketed Crystal Bay Farm Wednesday morning, but the fields of the farm were teeming with life.
A group of kindergarteners from Valencia Elementary School in Aptos, along with parents and teacher Karen Richmond, were visiting the organic farm just off...
A celebration of achievement
Members and staff of the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County came together at Watsonville Slough Farm on Aug. 5 to commemorate the work they've accomplished.
Looking back and moving forward: MLK Day
Renowned 20th-century theologian, Karl Barth, said that one should, “preach with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.” That is to say, what pastors and priests preach ought to be faithful to scripture and applied to our current context. There...
Sambrailo sees major growth in sustainable packaging line
WATSONVILLE—When Santa Cruz-based natural foods store Staff of Life opened its second location in Watsonville in March, employees from Sambrailo were pleased to see their products featured front and center.
Fresh, organic vegetables and fruit in the store’s produce aisle were nestled inside Sambrailo’s sustainable...
Guest view: Call for a compromise
By Abel Sanchez, Chair of Parks & Recreation Commission
The Aug. 7 deadline has passed and Congress could not come up with an agreement on the next stimulus package. This is despite wide support amongst many lawmakers that Americans desperately need assistance during these tough...
Letter: No more outsiders for hospital
I would strongly recommend that the Watsonville City Council make their opinion known that the Council views the control of the operation and planning for the Community Hospital to be in the hands of a person that has been with the hospital and community...
Guest View: Hurt people, hurt people
For seven years in the 1970s I taught elementary school at Hall District School in Las Lomas. My students were virtually identical to those massacred in Uvalde, Texas. Apparently, “my” children watched for almost an hour while their teachers and friends were being blown...
Jim Barsi—owner of Barsi’s Liquor Store—dies
James Joseph “Jim” Barsi, who ran his eponymous liquor store on East Lake Avenue for a half-century before selling the business and retiring in...




















