St. Francis High baseball head coach Ken Nakagawa has no doubt this year’s group is talented enough to go on a Central Coast Section title run. The faith has always been there.  But more importantly to him, it’s just a matter of when they can get hot.  “I think we’re starting to heat up at the right time,” he said.   The Sharks extended their league win streak to eight following a 5-1 victory against Monterey High in Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division action April 16.  The streak began after losing, 2-1, to Salinas High on March 19.  “Gonna keep rolli ..read more

This week’s edition of the Pajaronian Sports Ticker highlights local prep athletes for their performances during the week of April 8-14.    Preps of the Week Boys: Aptos High senior Isaiah Work had one double and one RBI to help the Mariners baseball team edge Scotts Valley High in Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League action April 9. He also had one home run, one RBI and scored a pair of runs, and recorded six strikeouts in five innings pitched in a 6-2 win over the Falcons on April 12.  Girls: Aptos High senior Ella Shoemaker won four track and field events at the inaugural S ..read more

Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian SUIT UP Central firefighters secure their gear as they prepare to enter the burning home.Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian THROUGH THE ROOF Twelve-foot flames shoot through the roof of a home in the late night blaze ..read more

A group of educators, union officials and pesticide reform advocates have sued the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner, alleging they have repeatedly allowed dangerous pesticides to be used near schools. The lawsuit was filed March 29 in Monterey County Superior Court by Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, Safe Ag Safe Schools, Center for Farmworker Families, Monterey Bay Central Labor Council and Californians for Pesticide Reform. LawsuitDownload The coalition is represented by Earthjustice. The filing accuses those agencies of&nb ..read more

After months of work promoting Measure N—efforts that included going door to door in the vast Pajaro Valley Health Care District (PVHCD)—officials can now begin to envision how they will use the $116 million to improve Watsonville Community Hospital. But it could be several months before any work begins at Watsonville Community Hospital. The measure passed by just over 68 percent in PVHCD, which includes Monterey and Santa Cruz counties and stretches from Aptos to northern Monterey County. While it barely edged over the 66% supermajority required for a tax measure, supporters still see it as ..read more

After working as a manager at Freedom Meat Lockers for nearly three decades, William Panis was ready to set off on his own. His new butcher shop—Willie’s Meat Market—is located at 20 Mariposa off Freedom Boulevard.  He offers a wide selection of meat, sausage and bacon, in addition to salsa and vegetables, along with spices and rubs. “I’m trying to have a little bit of everything for everybody,” he said.  Only open for a few weeks, Panis says that business has started off slow as bad weather dissuaded barbecuers. But that should change, he said, as the sun stays out and the temperat ..read more

In the coming years, as the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors oversees more than 30 departments under their jurisdiction, they will have to grapple with increasing numbers of natural disasters spurred by climate change, as well as homelessness and the housing crisis, and ever-evolving mandates from state and federal governments to address those problems. That was the message Tuesday from County Administrative Officer Carlos Palacios, who outlined the proposed budget in advance of hearings next month.  Palacios said those problems will continue to burden county leaders as they face a ..read more

It’s been 27 days since the Cabrillo College softball team suffered a defeat at the hands of San Jose City College.  Not that freshman Brooklyn Llamas was counting, but she remembers it all too well because at that time it was a rude awakening for her and her teammates. After collecting themselves, the Seahawks won 13 straight including a 5-1 statement win over the College of San Mateo in Coast Conference action April 9. “That’s the thing that ultimately helped us, just flip the switch,” Llamas said. “A big thing is energy for us. At the beginning of the season we started off just like a ..read more

This week’s edition of the Pajaronian Sports Ticker highlights local prep athletes for their performances during the week of April 1-7 and March 30.    Preps of the Week Boys: St. Francis High junior Nash Horton tallied five base hits to go along with six RBIs and three runs scored in three games at the San Luis Obispo Baseball Tournament on April 2-3. The Sharks standout batted 2-for-4 with one run scored, 3 RBIs in an 11-1 win over Golden Valley on April 2. Horton  recorded one triple and three RBIs in a 6-5 loss to Lakewood High on April 3. He batted 2-for-2 including o ..read more

Thousands of people across Santa Cruz County—and millions more throughout the U.S.—took a pause late Monday morning to look to the skies for a phenomenon that will not happen again for two decades. Californians saw only 30% of the sun being blotted out by the moon, while states from Texas northeast through Maine in the path of totality getting treated to the celestial extravaganza that was the total eclipse. Still, people in most other states donned solar viewing glasses and gathered all manner of improvised devices to be able to see what they could. At Aptos High School, hundreds of students ..read more