Johanna Miller: Fireworks irresponsible in summer heat
Last week, Watsonville experienced one of its hottest weekends on record. Temperatures reached 110 degrees at one point — practically unheard of for our region’s normally mild summer days. When things began to cool down slightly on Sunday, it seemed like most of us were breathing a collective sigh of relief.
From the editor's desk, Sept. 26: Mexico disasters a sobering reminder
With a 7.1 magnitude earthquake killing more than 300 people in Mexico last week, and an 8.1 magnitude quake striking the southern end of the country earlier in the month, killing nearly 100, a sense of dread is rising throughout California.
New year, new beginnings
The 2021-22 school year starts next week. Beginnings are an opportunity to reflect on lessons from the past and build upon them for a new future. Our motto for this year is PVUSD C.A.R.E.S! The “C.A.R.E.S.” portion stands for: Connect, Accelerate, Recover, Enrich and...
Letters to the Editor, Nov. 16, 2023
Questions surrounding PVUSD ethnic studies decision
As a former member of the Ethnic Studies Community Cooperative Committee, I read and presented the following open letter to Ms. Jennifer Holm during the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 8.
I have some...
Movie Review: Disappointing third act keeps 'Wonder Woman' from greatness
The first half of “Wonder Woman” is excellent. The characters are deep, the acting is believable, the set pieces are excellent and the comedy is well written — Pine kills every scene he’s in with his perfect delivery. But the second half devolves into a C
Woody Rehanek: Science proves pesticide’s destructive nature
For the last 18 years, I taught a special education class in the Pajaro Valley. Many of my students were farmworker children with learning disabilities: problems paying attention, reading difficulties, hyperactivity, autism, lower IQ and struggles with self-control. I was shocked to discover that one of the most widely used pesticides in the world — chlorpyrifos — has, after over 20 years of solid research at UC Davis, Berkeley, Columbia University and elsewhere, been linked to these difficulties in learning and behavior.
Evacuated!
Memo from Rev. Mathews-Johnson
“For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken.” (Psalm 62: 1-2, NRSV.)
The question is whether we really believe it.
A priest and...
Cultural Shift
MEMO FROM REV. SHINSEKI
“There are causes for all human suffering, and there is a way by which they may be ended, because everything in the world is the result of a vast concurrence of causes and conditions, and everything disappears as these causes and...
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...




















