Community

On Saturday morning, 48-year-old Gerardo Gutierrez was one of about a dozen men sitting in the day room at Salvation Army’s Watsonville location, quietly watching an old Vicente Fernández film playing silently on a television mounted to the ceiling. The men—most of them homeless—had stayed...

Water surges through the asphalt along the 300-block of Ford Street Monday afternoon where a man reportedly ran into a fire hydrant with his Chevy Silverado pickup. Watsonville Police said the man struck the hydrant just after 5pm, triggering a water main break beneath...

In a little more than a year, Ramsay Park in Watsonville will boast a new dog park, a new multi-use synthetic sports field, a new state-of-the-art nature center and new lights for its pathways, parking lots and athletic fields. Plans also include an all-inclusive playground,...

A new art show has opened at the Pajaro Valley Arts Sudden Street Gallery.  With nearly 30 artists, "Take Aways: Art To Go!” marks the gallery’s 40th year and covers a wide spectrum of  art mediums, from rusted steel, ceramics and paint, to cast concrete,...

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...

Watsonville City Manager Rene Mendez has been named as the new City Manager for the City of Salinas, just two years after starting his position. The Salinas City Council on March 19 approved his contract. He will begin on May 28 and receive a base salary...

Pajaro Valley Unified School District on Friday named its new superintendent. The district’s Board of Trustees appointed Heather Contreras in closed session during its March 13 board meeting.  “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Heather Contreras as our new Superintendent,” Board President Georgia Acosta stated in...

Caltrans is scheduled to close both directions of Highway 1 for a 24-hour block on March 23/24 to make way for the demolition of the 1948 Capitola Ave. overcrossing.  Kevin Drabinski, spokesperson for Caltrans, said the work is the second phase of the three-phase project...

As election results continued to roll in Tuesday night, Measure N came out swinging, with 69.9% of voters approving it. That number had dipped to 68.5% early Wednesday morning just barely making the required two-thirds supermajority. Measure N would provide $116 million for Watsonville Community Hospital...

Winds were so strong Saturday night that meteorologists issued a tornado warning on the  Central Coast including for Elkhorn and Prunedale, as well as areas around Aptos and Watsonville. Just after 8pm, some residents reported seeing a “funnel cloud” touch down on the 700 block...