In the end, I think one of the strangest things about Stranger Things was that the residents of a small Midwestern town pre-internet would have such hip music tastes.

At Watsonville High School, students are required to fulfill a minimum 40 community service hours. Oscar Guerrero-Celedon and Crystal and Daniela Martinez are three students who have fulfilled more than 1,000 hours. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2026/01/03/w...

Situations where gatekeeping is justified: 1. You’re guarding an actual gate. 2. You found a gate that you want to hang onto. End of list.

There’s no way 2006 was 20 years ago. I mean, it was only 10 years ago…I mean, 5 years ago…3 years ago…2 years ago…last year…it’s 2006 right now. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!

I also got to cover the first baby born in Watsonville. His name? Thomas Watson. That's some cosmic alignment right there. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2026/01/01/t...

The year began with me following up on a large structure fire from the night before. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2026/01/01/f...

This week in the Santa Cruz area: Alex Lucero, Moonalice and AC/DC tribute band Noise Pollution. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/31/c...

Vinnie Hansen has published her second book set in Playa Maria, a thinly veiled Santa Cruz, titled "Crime Writer." She will discuss it at Bookshop Santa Cruz Jan. 8. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/31/s...

Folk singer John McCutcheon will be playing Felton Music Hall in January, just in time to release the next batch of songs he recorded with Tom Paxton during the COVID-19 pandemic. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/31/g...

Starting the new year off with four stories published in today's paper, so bear with me. First off, the Santa Cruz County Fair is accepting theme ideas for this year's festivities. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/31/s...

Happy almost 2026! Here's a rundown of my favorite stories I worked on this year. First up, I covered the proposed demolition of the Redman-Hirahara House. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/04/13/w...

27-year department veteran Corey Schaefer has been named Watsonville's new fire chief. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/30/c...

As with last year, here's a list of my favorite albums of 2025 (in no particular order, other than when I first listened to them): * Sharon Van Etten - Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory (Favorite song: "Indio" www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCA4... )

A roundup of New Year's Eve events in Santa Cruz County. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/29/s...

Christmas clouds.

This week in the Santa Cruz area: Chuck Prophet, the White Album Ensemble and New Year's Eve shows by Los Lobos and Tommy Castro and the Painkillers. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/24/c...

I don't often write about productions in Minneapolis, but Santa Cruz native Juliette Carrillo is directing a bilingual production of "Go Dog. Go!" at the Children's Theatre Company there, and that's far from the only world-class city she's directed in. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/24/u...

Brian Shab, San Jose's assistant chief of police, has been named Watsonville's new police chief. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/23/w...

The Pajaro Valley school board re-approved its certificated teacher layoffs after bringing the item back at a special meeting Monday to receive public comments. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/23/p...

20-year-old Appalachian folk musician Nora Brown has been playing nearly her entire life and was recently featured on the soundtrack to Ken Burns' "American Revolution" doc. She will be joined by fiddle player Stephanie Coleman at Kuumbwa Jazz Jan. 7. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/22/t...

Watsonville has been designated a California Cultural District. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/19/w...

A completion ceremony was held Wednesday for the initial cohort of Pajaro Valley High School students who went through the school's new PV Advance program where students learn postsecondary skills while also receiving transferable college credits. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/18/i...

This week in the Santa Cruz area: the Rasquache Liberation Front, Hod and the Helpers, and Rock and Roll Playhouse playing the songs of The Beatles. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/17/c...

Watsonville Fire Chief Rudy Lopez will retire at the end of the year. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/16/w...

Watsonville received a $39 million grant for a redevelopment of the Watsonville Transit Center that includes housing. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/15/c...

The run that Rob Reiner went on between 1984 and 1992 is one of the most amazing hot streaks any director has ever had. Legendary stuff

This week in the Santa Cruz area: Chris Smither and the Motivators, Lori Rivera performing the songs of Carole King, and Santa Cruz Symphony performing holiday classics. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/10/c...

The Tannery Arts Center will have plenty of artistic gifts available this Saturday for its annual Winter Art Market. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/10/t...

Kristal Salcido and Casey Clark will serve the next year as mayor and mayor pro tempore of Watsonville respectively. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/10/s...

Thursday's Pajaro Valley school board meeting is expected to have a large turnout, as the board will be voting on more than 100 staff cuts. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/09/n...

The Watsonville City Council will be elevating Kristal Salcido and Casey Clark to mayor and mayor pro tempore respectively in its final meeting of the year tonight. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/08/w...

With Assembly Bill 495 set to go into effect Jan. 1, the Pajaro Valley Collaborative is calling upon the state to adopt the Childcare Safety Plan which would designate a caregiver for children separated from their parents in an emergency. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/08/p...

"A Celtic Christmas," Tomáseen Foley's mix of music, dancing and telling stories of his youth in a small Irish village, will return to Santa Cruz Dec. 18. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/08/a...

Watsonville has a new holiday event with Noche de Brillo, bringing back pre-COVID traditions like a holiday train and snow play area and new traditions like a lighted parade. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/04/w...

The Watsonville City Council is moving forward with the abatement of a homeless encampment along Corralitos Creek declared a nuisance. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/03/w...

I think about this quite often.

Thinking about that “How Bad is Your Spotify” site from a few years ago that judged your music taste, and nothing on there was ever as harsh as this actual screen from my Spotify Wrapped. www.spotify.com/wrapped-shar...

What I listened to the most these past 12 months. open.spotify.com/playlist/37i...

With drama teacher Kendra Kannegaard on maternity leave, two alumni are directing Scotts Valley High School's production of "The Importance of Being Earnest," which opens Thursday. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/02/a...

The Watsonville City Council will hold a public hearing regarding the abatement of a private property that has been used as an unsanctioned homeless encampment. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/12/01/w...

Author Megha Majumdar will be at Bookshop Santa Cruz Tuesday to discuss her book "A Guardian and a Thief," about a woman fleeing climate-ravaged India and the thief who steals her immigration documents. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/11/29/s...

This week in the Santa Cruz area: Ana Popovic, the Django Festival All Stars featuring Veronica Swift, and tributes to The Beatles and Creedence Clearwater Revival. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/11/26/c...

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has a festive lineup of activities over the next few weeks. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/11/26/s...

I got some unintentionally hilarious screenshots of Raph and Busta Rhymes.

Santa Cruz author Peggy Townsend, whose longtime writing career includes a 33-year stint with the Sentinel, has published her fourth book "The Botanist's Assistant." www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/11/25/s...

The Watsonville City Council voted 4-3 at a special meeting last week to rescind a resolution scrapping the city's project labor agreement. It also voted 5-2 to approve a side letter with amendments to the agreement. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/11/24/w...

A person was injured in an 80-foot fall, and another was rescued from a tree near UC Santa Cruz Saturday. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/11/23/1...

Rose Filicetti, whose decades of service culminated in the founding of Nonprofit Connection Santa Cruz County, died Nov. 10. A celebration of life is scheduled for Dec. 1. www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/11/22/a...

Listening to this new mix of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” that plays all the parts uninterrupted for a single 25-minute track, and it’s a surprisingly good soundtrack for cooking pasta. Then again, “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” is a great soundtrack for doing just about anything.