http://www.register-pajaronian.com http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5459 WATSONVILLE — With classes at Cabrillo College set to start in less than a week – Sept. 2 – early figures show a healthy increase in students for this academic year. “We are glad to report that enrollment is expanding at more Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:28:53 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5458 The City of Watsonville Redevelopment Agency approved up to $25,000 in funding to the financially troubled Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture during a meeting Tuesday at the Civic Plaza. The Redevelopment Agency, composed of members of the City Council, approved a Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:27:46 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5457 The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency’s board of directors will consider approving its refund claim form for its overcollected augmentation charge and also look at establishing a sunset provision for its remaining $80-per-acre-foot augmentation charge during a meeting today at 7 p.m. at the Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:27:14 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5456 Candidates for the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees will meet in their first public forum Thursday night, touching off the district’s election season. The forum will be sponsored by the Pajaro Valley chapter of the Association of Mexican-American Educators, the Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:26:23 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5455 Dozens of students at Alianza Charter School and Watsonville Charter School of the Arts took time away from their classes Tuesday morning to watch a new project take shape. Workers used a large crane to lift two, 38,000-pound concrete tanks into a large Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:25:45 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5454 A man was in serious condition Tuesday afternoon after his car slammed broadside into a van on Carlton Road. According to California Highway Patrol officer William Chaty, an early 1990s-model Honda Accord with a male driver was traveling northbound and a Dodge Sprinter Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:24:31 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5443 Early signs indicate success for this year’s Santa Cruz County Fair, with fair entries up and ticket presales running ahead of last year. According to Steve Stagnaro, marketing director of the Santa Cruz County Fair, the 2008 fair has seen a huge increase Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:57:54 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5441 Watsonville Planning Commissioner and City Council candidate Emilio Martinez announced his resignation from the Planning Commission on Saturday, just days before the issue of his removal was scheduled to be addressed by the City Council. In a letter dated Aug. 22 written to Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:53:55 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5438 The first-ever Watsonville Pride march hit the streets of Watsonville Sunday, marking a new chapter in the history of the gay rights movement in the Pajaro Valley. More than 400 people marched through downtown waving flags and banners, chanting, singing and hugging one another Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:38:28 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5437 Hundreds gathered in Aromas for the annual Aromas Day under sunny skies and pleasant conditions. With events spanning from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m., the family-oriented event was dubbed “a day in the country.” Live music, clowns, a petting zoo, arts and crafts, Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:36:45 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5436 More than three years after a devastating fire, some of the old, burned redwood framework is still on its way out the door and into the Dumpster at the Wall Street Inn in downtown Watsonville. The work is part of a huge-scale rebuilding Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:35:08 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5435 Santa Cruz County teenagers who find themselves in awkward, uncomfortable or dangerous situations during the weekend will now be able to call for a safe ride home, thanks to a new program run through the Red Cross. The Safe Rides for Teens program, Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:33:33 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5432 Lorraine Washington has seen a lot since starting with the City of Watsonville 43 years ago. She’s seen the city suffer and recover from the Loma Prieta earthquake, she’s seen the amount of paperwork explode and she’s seen a heck of a lot Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:44:06 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5431 Watsonville has become the latest community to welcome Luis and Maria Martinez, a husband-and-wife team who joined the local Salvation Army as its newest majors in July. Although Luis and Maria officially retired from the Salvation Army in 2003, the couple continue Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:42:29 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5430 A damaged City of Watsonville garbage truck leaked a trail of hydraulic fluid along a circuitous route through parking lots and city streets on Friday. The trail of fluid snaked through the parking lot of the Crossroads Shopping Center, into the BMW dealership Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:41:24 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5429 On Sunday, the population of Aromas will more than double in size as the small town’s residents invite neighbors from other tri-county communities to help them celebrate Aromas Day. Aromas, the bucolic spot where Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito Counties all come together, is Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:40:33 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5428 A double-trailer big-rig hauling heads of lettuce flipped onto its side Friday on Riverside Drive at Highway 1. No injuries were reported in the 12:30 p.m. incident, but traffic was slowed in the area for hours as a massive cleanup operation unfolded. Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:39:54 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5410 It was a dreary time in Japanese-American history. Thousands of Japanese families across the country were forced by the U.S. government to live in internment camps during WWII, leaving their jobs, schools, homes and lives behind. Many of the camps were bleak places, Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:32:33 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5409 A man was killed early this morning when his car hit the right-hand guardrail on Highway 1 just north of Airport Boulevard. The driver of a dark-colored, four-door sedan, described by investigating officers only as an adult male, was headed southbound on HIghway Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:31:09 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5408 Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency board chairman Dennis Osmer has asked the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office to determine whether the board’s former Ad Hoc Executive Committee, of which he was a member, committed violations of the Brown Act. The move, according to Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:30:23 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5407 For much of this summer, Judy Dutra tried to take as much time as she could between fuel-ups at the gas station. The high prices were too irritating and depressing. Thursday, however, Dutra, a Watsonville resident, happily pumped gas into her car, as Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:29:27 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5406 The Watsonville Public Library was briefly evacuated during the early evening of Aug. 13 when a sewer line backed up into the children’s section, and into an adjacent building. On Thursday, small portions of the children’s room and the literacy center remained closed Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:28:11 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5405 The history of the Pajaro Valley is as rich as its soils, and on Thursday afternoon those responsible for preserving the area’s heritage were honored during the annual luncheon of the Pajaro Valley Historical Association The luncheon, held at the Santa Cruz Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:27:22 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5404 A pot left on a hot stove burner is believed to have been the cause of a kitchen fire that resulted in the closure of Riverside Drive Thursday morning. The fire, which began within the kitchen of a one-bedroom apartment located above Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:25:56 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5403 The Santa Cruz Literacy Program has taught countless adults how to read, write and speak English in its 43-year history; however, many locals are still unaware of the services the nonprofit organization provides. To change this fact and reach out to a broader pool Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:25:28 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5400 A man died after his plane slammed into a California Highway Patrol inspection facility just north of Gilroy Wednesday evening. Chris Armstrong, public affairs officer with the CHP, said it appears the single-engine SOCATA Rallye airplane was on its way to San Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:22:01 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5383 The new year at the Pajaro Valley Unified School District got off to a wet start Saturday afternoon when a water pipe in the main office burst, flooding most of the first floor of The Towers on Green Valley Road and causing extensive damage. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:13:30 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5382 During a wide-ranging exclusive interview Wednesday with the Register-Pajaronian, 17th District Congressman Sam Farr, D-Carmel, spoke at length about the problems facing both the nation and the Pajaro Valley. Farr, who is in the area because Congress is on recess, was scheduled to Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:09:25 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5381 A little more than two decades ago, a group of parents with disabled children got together to share experiences, offer support and combine their lists of the services they had found for their children. The nurturing atmosphere they discovered was so effective that Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:03:45 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5380 In the wake of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, Pajaro Valley Shelter Services was able to develop 16 transitional housing units for those in need. Sister Susan Olson now sees a similar community crisis in the number of families displaced by foreclosures. Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:59:05 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5374 Since he was a child, James Nakamoto knew he wanted to join the military. “When I was little, it was all I wanted,” he said. “It’s the right thing to do, the way I see it. Other people have given up so Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:35:23 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5373 The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors held off on declaring a groundwater emergency in the Pajaro Groundwater Basin during a public hearing Tuesday night at the Watsonville Civic Plaza. Board members all acknowledged that the basin’s overdraft and seawater intrusion problems were dire, Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:32:30 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5372 Renowned community philanthropist and real estate developer George Ow Jr. will be honored for his philanthropic work Thursday with the first annual “Tony Hill Award.” The community service award was named for Hill, a long-time community activist who fought for social justice Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:31:23 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5371 In the early morning hours of Saturday, Aug. 30, a group of volunteers will gather in a field on 41st Avenue to harvest the vibrant blossoms of begonias. This effort, made possible by the donation of the Golden State Bulb Growers, will be followed Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:30:34 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5370 Mosquito-control granules will be applied via helicopter over 58 acres in and around Watsonville beginning at 8 a.m. today, Santa Cruz County Mosquito & Vector Control announced in a press release Tuesday. The granules will be applied within portions of Hansen Slough, Lake Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:28:42 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5369 The last of in series of four listening and documentation sessions about racism in Santa Cruz County will be held today from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the United Presbyterian Church, 112 E. Beach St. This is the only one of the monthly Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:28:14 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5368 A group of workers, picks and shovels in hand, was busy Monday in the wetlands of Watsonville, engaged in an epic battle with a host of well-entrenched invaders. The enemies — stands of hearty, invasive weeds — provided little fight. A little digging Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:47:55 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5367 Airtimes for several volunteer-produced programs on public radio station KUSP 88.9 will soon be shifted to clear the way for additional news and information. This change, set to take affect Sept. 1, means the station will now air National Public Radio programming during Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:46:47 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5366 The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors will consider declaring a groundwater emergency in the Pajaro Valley water basin during a public hearing today at 7 p.m. at the Watsonville City Council Chambers. If a groundwater emergency is declared, the county may enact Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:45:49 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5365 When 15 students arrive in Watsonville after a 12-hour trip from Kawakami, Japan on Sept. 5, they will be exhausted and somewhat nervous to meet the host families they’ll be spending a week with. After a few short hours, however, they will be Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:45:12 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5361 While the start of school may signal the end of summer, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk continues to offer summer attractions daily through Labor Day. In addition to the rides, arcades and miniature golf at Neptune’s Kingdom, the Boardwalk has also featured the Amazing Chinese Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:25:06 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5360 A suspect is still on the loose after shooting a 39-year-old man in the leg Sunday in Watsonville. At 1:01 a.m. Sunday, Watsonville police responded to a report of a shooting at 32 Lassen Way. Upon arrival, officers discovered that the victim had been Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:23:49 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5359 When Watsonville High principal Murry Schekman took a look at the massive cuts facing Pajaro Valley Unified School District sports programs, he decided he would tackle the problem head on. He enlisted the help of KPIG disc jockey “Sleepy” John Sandidge, who founded Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:23:08 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5356 Shigeru “Shig” Kizuka had reason to turn his back on the United States. He never did. The internment camp survivor became a decorated soldier during World War II, and remained a proud American the rest of his life. Kizuka, who died July 17 Sat, 16 Aug 2008 03:07:14 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5355 A Watsonville resident arrested Tuesday for running a massive fake ID manufacturing business out of a tiny Ninth Street apartment appeared in Santa Cruz County Superior Court Thursday, where he pled not guilty to numerous felony charges. Judge John Salazar reduced Luis Alberto Sat, 16 Aug 2008 02:50:54 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5354 On Friday, work crews were busy removing computers, books and furniture from the classrooms at Solano Summit Academy, after budget woes forced the school to close its doors just three years after it opened. The school, which was housed at First Christian Church Sat, 16 Aug 2008 02:49:45 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5353 An Ohlone settlement. The China Beach village. Camp San Jose. The New Brighton State Beach area has a rich history, and today the Capitola state park will celebrate its 75th anniversary with a series of events. The event, which is being called Sat, 16 Aug 2008 02:48:31 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5341 SAN JOSE — Raúl Alcántar watched with pride as his wife, Rebeca, became a U.S. citizen. As he did so, he longed for his turn. Good thing for him, his chance to take the U.S. citizenship oath was just three hours away. Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:34:01 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5340 Across Santa Cruz County and throughout the state, students made modest gains on standardized tests, results released Thursday by the California Department of Education showed. Pajaro Valley Unified School District students improved their scores slightly in both English and math, and the district’s middle-schoolers Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:32:39 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5339 LIVE OAK — Flames tore through a double-wide mobile home Thursday morning in Live Oak. A man, a woman and their cat managed to charge out of the home, at 2627 Mattison Lane No. 57 as their bedroom ignited in flames at 5:37 a.m. Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:31:54 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5338 A Watsonville man is facing hundreds of state and federal felony charges after police on Tuesday found a fake-identity factory he had allegedly been operating from his Ninth Street apartment. Following up on a call from a neighbor, Watsonville police officers searched the Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:52:32 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5337 A man was shot in a busy intersection in Watsonville Wednesday at noon following a rolling altercation between several people in two vehicles. Several shots were reportedly fired by a passenger from one vehicle at another vehicle, striking a passenger. Police immediately Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:51:23 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5336 In a move that temporarily maintains the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency’s chief funding source, the agency’s board of directors voted 5-0 to maintain an $80-per-acre-foot augmentation fee on water users, albeit with a still-to-be-determined sunset date, before an overflow crowd Wednesday night at Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:50:07 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5335 Forty-two years ago, Lupe Flores was a student at Watsonville High School, and attended an ROP cosmetology class at Wayne’s College of Beauty on 1414 Freedom Blvd. Now, Flores has returned to the address to support Aude Andrade, who, with the help of Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:48:09 -0500 http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php http://www.register-pajaronian.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=5334 When Nancy Main gave birth to her third child in 1991, she got an idea. “I noticed that when a child is held against your body, it doesn’t cry,” she said. Main purchased a baby carrier to keep her daughter close, but Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:47:04 -0500