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A 29-year-old Watsonville man died Thursday evening when he lost control of his motorcycle and smashed into a fence. California Highway Patrol officer Israel Murillo said officers responded to a report of a crash on Buena Vista Drive west of Bradford Road. The man, identified as...

Elkhorn Slough, the vast natural area south of Watsonville that serves as a transition zone between land and sea and is home to myriad species of birds—as well as water and land animals—got a boost last week with a $6 million award. The money from...

Paola Fregoso (left) and Lorelai Oliveira are joined by their dog, Luna, Monday in a promotion of their fireworks for sale at the Watsonville High Junior Wildcatz stand. Their temporary fireworks stand, at 716 East Lake Ave., is one of close to two dozen...

In the decade between 2013-23, volunteers and nonprofits picked up 439,358 cigarette butts from Santa Cruz County’s beaches and natural areas, accounting for a quarter of all litter found here. That’s according to Save Our Shores (SOS), a Santa Cruz-based nonprofit that works to support...

Editor’s note: this story is a preview for the graduation section that will come out on Friday. We will do our best to highlight all the schools that held ceremonies. Over 90 students crossed the stage in front of a full house at the Henry...

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...

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...

Water fills the newly constructed sentiment drying beds on Holohan Road Wednesday as part of the College Lake Pipeline Project, which was designed to develop College Lake as a new water supply for the Pajaro Valley. Six miles of 30-inch water main will transport treated...

As he drove under the new pedestrian and bicycle bridge spanning Highway 1 Wednesday, CalTrans structural engineer Jorge Uberhuaga pointed to the wooden framework he described as a “bridge to build a bridge.” After installing the rebar skeleton, workers will soon begin pouring cement that...