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Articles for Watsonville

Police shot man who allegedly threatened daughter with a knife. Then they found her mother’s body
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Police shot man who allegedly threatened daughter with a knife. Then they found her mother’s body

LA Times  

The body of 25-year-old Lizbeth Arceo Sedano of Watsonville was found near Eureka Canyon Road and Grizzly Flat Road after she had been reported missing. A missing young woman was found dead in the Santa Cruz Mountains last weekend, mere hours after police shot a man who they say was threatening the couple’s 3-year-old daughter with a knife. The saga …

Man Gonzalez Facebook Santa Cruz Watsonville
Ashley James Fornier acquitted of murder after shooting childhood friend with rifle
1 year, 6 months ago

Ashley James Fornier acquitted of murder after shooting childhood friend with rifle

ABC  

A Supreme Court trial that heard evidence from a self-professed prophet and featured a gun demonstration has ended in a man acquitted of murdering his "best mate". Key points: Ashley James Fornier, 33, has been found not guilty of murdering his "best mate" The jury finds Mr Fornier was acting in self defence when he shot Paul Carroll in the …

Court Carroll Rifle Ms Carroll Mr Carroll Watsonville Fornier
Murder accused holds gun in packed Cairns courtroom to show how he allegedly killed his 'best mate'
1 year, 6 months ago

Murder accused holds gun in packed Cairns courtroom to show how he allegedly killed his 'best mate'

ABC  

In a packed courtroom in Cairns, a man has demonstrated how he allegedly shot his "best mate" with a semi-automatic rifle. Key points: Ashley James Fornier has pleaded not guilty to murdering his friend, Paul Carroll, in Far North Queensland Mr Fornier told the court he feared for his life The court was shown a video of the victim's mother …

Court His Mother Carroll Cairns Ms Carroll Mr Carroll Watsonville
How a long history of racism and neglect set the stage for Pajaro flooding
1 year, 9 months ago

How a long history of racism and neglect set the stage for Pajaro flooding

LA Times  

Maria Terriquez, right, and Blanca Garcia push a shopping cart of supplies across the Pajaro River Bridge. “Pajaro became kind of Monterey County’s Siberia,” and Watsonville’s “fief,” he said — a place to house farmworkers. Towns that have lots of agricultural laborers don’t want them living in downtown.” Lydon said that while current Monterey County officials have made efforts to …

California County Chinese Long Town Martinez River
Volunteers step up in flooded Pajaro, where many lack food, clothing — and work
1 year, 9 months ago

Volunteers step up in flooded Pajaro, where many lack food, clothing — and work

LA Times  

Jessica Sanchez felt awful about the catastrophic flooding that displaced hundreds of people in this Monterey County farm town. Pajaro is a community of “mostly Latino, low-income farmworkers and immigrants — people who are salt of the earth, but the people who have the most to lose here,” Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo said at a news briefing Wednesday, noting …

Food Water Work Help Bridge Residents Newsom
SoCal sees record rainfall as storm brings flooding, evacuations and power outages in NorCal
1 year, 9 months ago

SoCal sees record rainfall as storm brings flooding, evacuations and power outages in NorCal

LA Times  

Residents look at the damage as a swollen Tule River crumbled parts of Globe Drive in Springville, Calif., in Tulare County. At least 90 flood watches, warnings and advisories were in effect statewide, as were avalanche warnings in portions of Mono and Inyo counties and the Lake Tahoe area, according to the National Weather Service, which said the storm would …

Weather Storm Rain Flooding California Los Angeles County
Residents left in flooded California farm town feel ‘abandoned’ as levees fail
1 year, 9 months ago

Residents left in flooded California farm town feel ‘abandoned’ as levees fail

LA Times  

The migrant town of Pajaro, Calif., was flooded last week during powerful storms that caused the levee to break. “I know some people criticize us for not leaving, but the flooding danger isn’t here, it’s somewhere else,” Alvarez said, pointing south toward Salinas Road, which was submerged in water. “If the water continues to erode through the levee such that …

Water Highway California County Town Her Husband River
Before disastrous flood, officials knew Pajaro River levee could fail but took no action
1 year, 9 months ago

Before disastrous flood, officials knew Pajaro River levee could fail but took no action

LA Times  

A Caltrans vehicle heads north through floodwaters that closed State Highway 1 at the Santa Cruz County line on Sunday. “Therefore, you get basically Bay Area construction costs but the value of property isn’t all that high.” The levee was built in 1949 and, according to a 2021 Army Corps webpage summary of the system, “no longer provides the designed …

Flood State County River Communities Cruz Santa Cruz
Scenes of devastation along the Pajaro River: ‘The water is still coming in. It’s rising’
1 year, 9 months ago

Scenes of devastation along the Pajaro River: ‘The water is still coming in. It’s rising’

LA Times  

Lizbeth Hernandez is rescued from Casserly Creek after floodwaters carried her truck off of Paulsen Road in Watsonville, Calif., on Friday. They said they’d been notified by Monterey County that their business was probably flooded and there was concern that toxic chemicals and solvents could be getting into the water. “It’s rising.” Three blocks upstream, on the other side of …

Water County Flooded Monterey County Watsonville Pajaro River
Migrant pickers: Latinos in the fields of hardship
4 years, 3 months ago

Migrant pickers: Latinos in the fields of hardship

LA Times  

Reporter Virginia Escalante, right, with her family and their 1957 Ford pickup. During that time, Edward R. Murrow’s television documentary “Harvest of Shame” revealed the cruel exploitation of workers like us. “They tell us we won’t be needed 20 years from now,” Gutierrez, 38, said as she rolled out tortillas one afternoon. Their fears are reinforced by such messages as …

Family Labor California Mexico Mother Carolina Fields