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Watsonville
September 5, 2025

Labor Day gathering returns to downtown Watsonville

jimmy kelly labor day romo park
Live music, information tables, food and speeches was the tune of the day in Romo Park in downtown Watsonville at the annual Labor Day gathering Monday.  Put on by the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council, the event showcased the essence of Labor Day—to pay tribute...

PHOTO: DUI suspect flips vehicle on East Lake Avenue

east lake avenue crash blackburn street
A Watsonville firefighter helps clean up the scene of a two-vehicle crash on East Lake Avenue at Blackburn Street Thursday night. Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said Margarito Martinez-Garcia, 19, was traveling westbound in a Honda Accord at 7:20pm when he plowed into the...

Kids who were forced into therapy program return home

maya sebastian laing
In October, a Santa Cruz teen and her younger brother were violently taken from a relative’s house, driven to Los Angeles and forced into a family therapy program with their mother. They were then taken to Washington to live with her. Seven months later,...

Man killed in shooting

WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville man was shot and killed Sunday afternoon in downtown Watsonville. Watsonville Police Sgt. Jarrod Pisturino  said the shooting took place around 11:16am between the 100 block of Brennan Street and the 100 block of Sudden Street in a large parking lot shared by...

Andy Vargas Foundation hands out scholarships, prepares for concert

Daisy Fernandez has loved music since she was a child. She began singing when she was barely 3 years old, encouraged by her musically inclined family.  But despite this passion, Fernandez had not had much teaching or performance experience. “I always wanted to take classes and...

Officers participate in civil disobedience training

WATSONVILLE—Officers from six law agencies met at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Tuesday through Thursday for training in how to respond to civil disobedience. California Highway Patrol officer Dave Reed said the Mobile Field Force Disobedience course focuses on policy protocol for law enforcement officials...

Violent, court-ordered removal of children sparks community outcry

SANTA CRUZ—For the purposes of this article, Maya and Sebastian Laing’s story begins on Oct. 20, when a group of strangers paid a late-night visit to their grandmother’s house where they had been staying.  After trying unsuccessfully to convince the kids to come with them...

Watsonville Film Festival to present ‘Sanson and Me’

watsonville film festival
The Watsonville Film Festival will partner with CineLux Green Valley Cinemas to present the documentary film “Sanson and Me” Aug. 26 at 6pm. Award-winning filmmaker Rodrigo Reyes will participate in a post-screening Q&A with the audience. Watsonville-based actor Mario Velasquez, who appears in the film,...

Hundreds relocated from unpermitted housing in Royal Oaks

A property owner in Monterey County is facing dozens of citations and nearly $60,000 in fines after more than 200 people were found living in several unsafe “greenhouse-like” structures. Officials discovered several greenhouses on the 1100 block of San Miguel Canyon Road in Royal Oaks...

Supervisors approve Soquel Drive bike lane project

SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday opened the bidding process for a project that will add bike lanes and make pedestrian and traffic improvements along a 5.6-mile stretch of Soquel Drive in Mid-County. Construction is expected to start in the summer...
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Pajaro Valley hires Darren Jackson to become new head coach |...

Pajaro Valley High announced Friday that it has hired Darren Jackson as the new head coach of the girls’ basketball team. Jackson will replace Mark...