These are a collection of images from our photojournalist Tarmo Hannula that did not make it into stories, but we think should be enjoyed. Do you have a photo you’d like to be considered for our gallery? Send it to editor@pajaronian.com. Early day cars are parked outside the Pajaro Valley Arts Gallery at the Porter Building in Watsonville.Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian A cow named Megan (right) joins the herd at a ranch in Arana Gulch in Santa Cruz.Great white egrets put on a dazzling display in the waters of Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing.Tarmo Hannula/The Pajaronian Jelly fish put on the ..read more

Scotts Valley High junior Taylor Wilson earned the league’s top honors as the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League’s Player of the Year for the 2024 season. “This award means a lot to me because it was my goal from the beginning of the season and I am so grateful that I was selected in the end,” said Wilson via text message. “It makes it really special that I could stand out enough to all of those coaches and people for them to recognize me.” The Falcons’ star player batted a .508 average (31-for-61) with three triples, seven doubles, nine RBIs, 25 runs scored and 20 stolen bases. She was also a ..read more

El Sistema Santa Cruz/Pajaro Valley, a music education program at Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s Expanded Learning Opportunities program, has been selected from a competitive pool of 550 submissions to present a workshop at the 2024 International Society of Music Education (ISME) Conference in Helsinki, Finland. The workshop, titled “Melodies of Hope: The Lessons and Music of a Cross Cultural International Collaboration,” will bring together eight students from Radcliff Elementary School, educators from El Sistema Santa Cruz/Pajaro Valley, the prestigious Sibelius Academy and a Finni ..read more

UC Santa Cruz Police called upon law enforcement agencies from several jurisdictions from as far away as Ventura early Friday morning to help dismantle an encampment and provide security at the entrance of campus, where roughly 100 students are protesting the Gaza-Israel war. Police were enforcing a hard closure on High Street at Moore Street, not letting anyone pass, as well as at the university’s other entrances. Students at the scene said that police began arriving en masse around 10:30pm Thursday night, and that they contacted other students to join them. Police from numerous agencies wer ..read more

St. Francis High junior Nash Horton missed the 2023 baseball season due to a major injury to his pitching shoulder.  While still in an arm sling, he was told to jot down any goals he had in mind.  What started as a short list turned into a full page of where he wanted to be by the end of the 2023 summer up until the final game of the 2024 regular season.  That piece of paper hung on his wall. Slowly but surely the checkmarks began to appear next to the three most important goals: be the league’s most valuable player, bat at a .400 average, and hit three-plus home runs.  “A ..read more

After a contentious meeting on Tuesday, a divided Watsonville City Council approved in concept several amendments to its retail cannabis ordinances, a move intended to ease the regulatory burden for a burgeoning industry already beleaguered by local, state and federal regulations. City officials say the changes bring the rules in line with state regulations, and with other nearby jurisdictions. The council will consider the proposed changes for a second read and final approval at an upcoming meeting. The amendments include allowing larger signs, limiting background checks to only business own ..read more

For Michelle Martinez Kamalani and her mother, Judy Martinez of Watsonville, Memorial Day meant setting time aside to visit Valley Catholic Cemetery.  With an electric weed-whacker, a whisk broom,  hand clippers and two bunches of fresh flowers, the pair wandered through the rows of flower-festooned burial sites to the grave of Miguel R. Martinez, Michelle’s late father and Judy’s husband.  Below his name on the simple bronze plaque reads: “US Navy, June 2, 1942 — Oct 27, 2009. Mike — You’re Forever in Our Hearts.” Placing the flowers in the two bronze cemetery vases, Judy Mart ..read more

Watsonville Police are investigating a burglary by as many as 12 armed suspects that occurred at a Watsonville cannabis dispensary, which ended with a chase over Highway 1 by several law enforcement agencies. The chase by WPD, California Highway Patrol, Scotts Valley Police Department and other agencies included a BMW, a Porsche, a Mercedes Benz and a Jeep.  It reached over 100 MPH and led over Highway 17 and into Hayward. A spike strip placed near Mount Hermon was unsuccessful, and no arrests were made. The incident occurred just before 5am at The Hook, which opened in 2021 as Watsonvil ..read more

New School Community Day School teacher Bryan Love left a 20-year career in sales and business 14 years ago after a family emergency forced him to take some time off. After working as a substitute for just four days, Love found his new place at the alternative high school when then principal Victoria Sorenson convinced him to go through a credential program. “I’ve been here ever since,” he said Monday, as he worked on the school’s garden with a group of students. “I am so blessed and grateful to be matched up with New School, because it’s just the perfect place for me. It’s made me a better p ..read more

Marcus Northcutt has stepped down as Watsonville High’s athletic director after seven years with the school, he told The Pajaronian on Thursday.     Northcutt, 52, will take on the same duties at North Salinas High starting in July. He will replace longtime athletic director Jean Ashen, who spent 33 years with the school.  Northcutt’s contract with Pajaro Valley Unified School District is set to expire June 30, and expects to officially start at North Salinas on July 1. Watsonville High Principal Joe Gregorio said the application process for a new athletic director wi ..read more