Community

The annual Obon Festival will take place July 21 at the Watsonville Buddhist Temple. Open to the public, the event will include entertainment, a vendor’s market, childrens’ games and an array of traditional foods. The festival culminates in a dance, known as Bon-Odori, which participants practice...

On March 28, local artist Judy Stabile was among seven people who were honored for community service during the annual Cesar Chavez Awards ceremony. Stabile, who volunteers with Pajaro Valley Arts, said she was honored to receive the award. “The awardees were nominated for community service,”...

A man was arrested Feb. 21 for stealing thousands of dollars worth of electronic equipment from Bradley Elementary School.  Travis Clarke, 33, was charged with burglary, possession of a controlled substance and a probation violation. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu...

Nearly three decades ago, the Queer Youth Leadership Awards (QYLA) was created to honor young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people (LGBTQ+) whose advocacy and activism have made notable impacts on their communities. Created by the Queer Youth Task Force, the annual ceremony is...

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...

Watsonville police arrested two men on July 3 after they were found with more than 4,500 pounds of illegal fireworks. The bust is the largest in Watsonville Police history, and the biggest on the Central Coast this year, police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said. Luis Martinez and...

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...

On Aug. 14, about 400 students will return to Pajaro Middle School, more than a year after flood waters forced the campus to close. This includes seventh-graders who spent their first middle school year at a different school. On Friday, several workers were continuing to...

A Watsonville man was arrested on suspicion of DUI Monday afternoon after a two-vehicle crash. Watsonville Police officer Bobby Rodriguez said the suspect was driving a red Chevy Silverado  pickup westbound on Martinelli Street around 4:30pm. Witnesses told police that the driver ran a stop...

Editor's note: Three new candidates have tossed their hats in the ring for seats on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees districts 2, 3 and 6. Those seats are currently filled by Georgia Acosta, Oscar Soto and Adam Scow, respectively. None of...