Students’ academic careers are adding up
Brianna Vasquez is a 13-year-old about to begin her 8th-grade year at Rolling Hills Middle School.
As the days of her summer vacation wane and the academic year looms, many of her friends are enjoying their break.
But on Thursday, Brianna was taking a different path....
Watsonville High names Hall of Fame inductees
Every year, the Watsonville High School Foundation welcomes its latest members of the school’s Hall of Fame—people who have walked the hallowed halls, graduated and gone on to lead notable lives.
The awards ceremony was launched in 1986 as a way to showcase the achievements...
Travels by Tarmo: Layered history of the Sacramento Delta
California road trips to the desert, the State Capitol, the San Joaquin Valley, the Bay Area or the Sierra foothills have been turning up a bounty of rewards for my wife, Sarah, and me.
This was proven on our recent drive from Watsonville to Sacramento...
Group calls on Driscoll’s, Reiter, others to cease pesticide use near schools
Several community leaders and community members gathered at MacQuiddy Elementary School Tuesday evening to call on Driscoll’s, Reiter and other companies to stop using toxic pesticides around schools.
“Choosing to farm organically is a decision based on hope and a deep understanding of our interdependence...
Photo Story: Aviation Education
Fourth grade students from Mar Vista Elementary School get an up-close view of a Robinson 22 helicopter Tuesday during a tour of the Watsonville Municipal Airport.
Now in its third year, the community outreach program by the Municipal Airport exposed kids to various aspects...
Watsonville City Council ends zoom participation option at public meetings
The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday voted to end public comment via Zoom at its meetings, a decision spurred by two racist 'zoom bomb' calls made anonymously on Oct. 24.
The city of Capitola also experienced so-called “Zoom-bombs” around the same time.
In the calls, both...
Pajaro Valley Health Care Board Chair John Friel Dies
Pajaro Valley Health Care District Board (PVHCD) Chair and former Watsonville Community Hospital CEO John Friel, who took the lead of the fledgling agency at its outset in 2022, died March 21 after battling an undisclosed illness.
Friel resigned from his position on March 19,...
Watsonville to deactivate crosswind runway
The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday voted to close the crosswind runway at the airport, a move city officials say will open up more of the city for development of housing and commercial space.
Airport Director Rayvon Williams told the council that closing the shorter...
Public input sought on Ramsay Park Nature Center design
The City of Watsonville, Watsonville Wetlands Watch (WWW), and Community Arts & Empowerment are teaming up to design and install a new mosaic mural for the entrance wall of the new Nature Center scheduled to open in Ramsay Park in late 2025.
The artwork includes...
Sheriff’s Fentanyl Crisis Response Team uses education, enforcement
After 133 people died in Santa Cruz County in 2023 after overdosing on Fentanyl, the Sheriff’s Office has launched a new way to address the problem, with a special focus on the people who deal the dangerous drug.
The Fentanyl Crisis Response Team includes five...
Padilla, Schiff secure $54M for Pajaro River Levee
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla announced Tuesday that he and Sen. Adam Schiff secured $54 million in federal funding for the Pajaro River Flood Risk...





















