Guest View: County jails are failing people awaiting trial
Recently, we learned of a hunger strike in the Santa Cruz County main jail. Due to intolerable conditions, nine men awaiting trial started a hunger strike on Nov. 8. Five remained on hunger strike for nearly a month. Their demands?
• That jail staff treat...
Destruction of the Administrative State | Letters to the Editor
Destruction of the Administrative State
Perhaps you remember that the title above was Steve Bannon’s goal. I wasn’t sure what that meant in the beginning, but it is clear now that Bannon (through Trump and his Republican supporters) is achieving his goal, and weakening our...
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.
Movie Review: 'Annabelle: Creation' fine for what it is
The second movie of a spinoff series in “The Conjuring” universe about a killer demonic doll, “Annabelle: Creation” is far and away better than the first entry, which debuted in 2014 and gave me one of the best 1-hour-and-40-minute, movie-theater naps I’ve ever taken. The scares are OK, the writing is better and — thank God — tighter than the first and the overall story is good enough to keep you guessing at least for the first third.
Farm, biotech company secures more grants for education programs
In 2021, biotech company Blume Industries (BI) and Whiskey Hill Farms (WHF) became recipients of The Farmer Rancher Grant, a major grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Western Division of Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE).
The grant aims to support farmers and...
Beyond Division: Restoring Focus on Students and Progress—a letter from PVFT
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed Todd Guild as the author.
For the past 19 months, the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers (PVFT) has proudly observed our students, teachers, and community members courageously fighting for an ethnic studies program that...
From dry to drenched
After more than four years of devastating drought, 2017 saw California receive the wettest winter in more than 100 years.
Guy George selected as Farmer of the Year
WATSONVILLE—Guy George has been selected as the 2022 Farmer of the Year by the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau.
The annual award is presented to farmer(s) who have contributed “beyond their normal farming duties to help the community,” according to SCFB.
George has been farming in...
Man arrested for agriculture-related crimes
A Prunedale man was arrested Nov. 26 on suspicion of a lengthy list of agriculture-related crimes including theft of a tractor.
On Oct. 22, deputies...




















