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WATSONVILLE—Santa Cruz County has issued a flood advisory for three evacuation zones along Corralitos and Salsipuedes creeks. The Pajaro River is not at risk of flooding, County officials say. The warning is in effect for zone PAJ-E026, which is north of Wagner Avenue, south of...

A new outdoor mural was unveiled at Cesar Chavez Middle School May 25, a joint effort between Watsonville artist Yermo Aranda, area students, instructors and others. The four-panel mural, roughly 25-by-40-feet, depicts scenes from indigenous people and a multistage chronology of the life of Cesar...

WATSONVILLE—Police have arrested a man suspected of starting a fire in St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish that caused $100,000 in damage. Alberto Melgoza, 36, is also suspected of setting a fire at Ave Maria Memorial Chapel in June, Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said. Melgoza was arrested...

Watsonville Public Library is currently showing an exhibit of archived photographs of community murals throughout the city's history. The display was put together by Marisol Medina-Cadena with the help of local organizations and educational institutions. To view the accompanying digital archive, visit bit.ly/3CTF0Va.

The Circus has come to town, this time at Ramsay Park on Main Street in Watsonville.  Circus Royal Spectacular—out of Las Vegas—rolled into town Tuesday, and crews quickly began driving giant tent stakes into the softball diamond  to set up their mammoth bigtop tent. Circus spokesperson...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—El Sistema Santa Cruz/Pajaro Valley, a nonprofit aiming to bring music education and performance to students, has been selected as a finalist for a prestigious national award. The Lewis Prize for Music announced 10 finalists for its fourth annual Accelerator Awards last week....

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—As Thanksgiving edges closer, the folks at Corralitos Market & Sausage Co. and Freedom Meat Lockers say now is the time to get orders dialed in. “I’ve been at this since April, getting ready and dealing with supply, price changes and everything else,”...

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...

An estimated 100-foot-wide breach in the Pajaro River Levee has sent floodwaters into the community of Pajaro, forcing the evacuation of roughly 1,700 residents and causing untold damage to the homes, businesses and farm fields in the rural, agricultural community. On Friday crews were working...

WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville bade goodbye to three outgoing members on Tuesday, two of them longtime leaders with decades of combined experience between them.  Lowell Hurst and Rebecca Garcia served for years on the council, including stints as mayor. Francisco “Paco” Estrada was elected in...