Watsonville flood victims to sue
On Dec. 31, heavy rains overwhelmed Corralitos and Salsipuedes creeks and sent floodwaters cascading into several neighborhoods in Watsonville and unincorporated South County.
Sonia Corrales was among hundreds whose lives were upended.
She says her home in the College Lake area was rendered uninhabitable, forcing her...
Longtime political activist Glen Schaller dies
Glen Schaller, whose grassroots work touched nearly every aspect of local progressive politics for the past four decades in both the Central Coast and throughout California, who led campaigns for numerous elected leaders, and who joined the battle for LGBTQ+ equality long before it...
Group calls for increased buffer zones
Note: reporter Todd Guild contributed to this report
SALINAS—The pesticide Telone–also known as 1,3-D–is thought to be so dangerous that it is banned in 34 countries. And yet, despite having been disallowed in California from 1990-94, it is still used on crops, including on local...
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...
Mastering the perfect slice of ‘za
A lot comes to mind in the art of mastering the perfect slice of pizza.
For starters, portions are important because nobody wants to have too much sauce or too much cheese below a mountain full of toppings that prevents the dough from fully baking.
Slice...
Communities reeling from multiple storms
On Jan. 8, as the third deluge in a little more than a week bore down upon the Central Coast, Pajaro Valley Unified School District closed all of its schools, a measure they said was intended to protect kids and their families from possible...
PV Water calls for bids to construct College Lake project
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency Board of Directors authorized staff to advertise for bids to construct the College Lake Integrated Resources Management Project.
PVWMA officials say the project will provide much-needed water to the critically overdrafted basin of the Pajaro Valley by supplying 1,800...
Firefighter caps 34-year career in Watsonville
Kirt Vojvoda, Battalion Chief with Watsonville Fire Department, hung up his helmet June 23 and stepped into the world of retirement after 34 years of battling fires, car crash rescues, medical calls, false alarms, hazardous materials spills and more.
The Watsonville native, whose grandfather was...
Stephen Kessler named 2023 Artist of the Year
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Writer Stephen Kessler has been named the 2023 Artist of the Year by the Santa Cruz County Arts Commission.
Kessler has written a dozen volumes of original poetry, 16 books of literary translation, three collections of essays and a novel, “The Mental Traveler.”...
Salvation Army shelter facing closure after funding loss
For years, the Salvation Army in Watsonville has provided temporary shelter for homeless people, in addition to services such as showers, clothing, mail, lockers and laundry at the organization’s Navigation Center. This includes roughly 120 dinners per day, as well as a light breakfast.
“Sometimes...
Woman dies in head-on crash in Felton
A Felton woman died early Saturday morning in a head-on crash on Highway 9 north of Felton.
The California Highway Patrol said the 80-year-old woman...