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September 18, 2025

PHOTO: Officials tour flood-damaged neighborhoods in Watsonville

mark strudley
Mark Strudley (center), Flood Control Division Manager of Santa Cruz County Department of Public Works, joins other officials in touring a College Road neighborhood recently to assess recent flood damage. Included in the tour were representatives from the offices of Senator Alex Padilla, Assemblyman...

Watsonville Hospital Board mulling public bond, hires consultant

Watsonville Hospital
Plans to bring Watsonville Community Hospital—and the property on which it sits—into public ownership took a giant step forward Wednesday. The Pajaro Valley Health Care District (PVHD) Board of Directors approved a proposal to hire Isom Advisors, a municipal bond advisory firm that will help...

PVUSD cancels elementary portion of Virtual Academy

pvusd trustees
WATSONVILLE—After seeing declining enrollment in the lower grades of its Virtual Academy, Pajaro Valley Unified School District has canceled that portion of the online school. But the District will keep the school’s 7-12 grades, since that portion has more robust student numbers. The District Board of...

Briefs: Flood meeting in Watsonville; Rotary supports Pajaro relief

watsonville rotary michael jones sister rosa casa de la cultura
Flood meeting set The City of Watsonville has scheduled a community meeting to discuss the flooding in neighborhoods that kicked off 2023. The meeting will take place at Ann Soldo Elementary School’s cafeteria, 1140 Menasco Drive, on May 15 from 4-6pm. Regan Vineyards now open for wine...

Santa Cruz man dies in crash

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A Santa Cruz man died Wednesday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash on the north coast. California Highway Patrol officer Israel Murillo said the man, who has not been named, was riding a 2013 Kawasaki motorcycle southbound on Highway 1, north of Dimeo Lane. The motorcyclist accelerated...

Watsonville Plaza redesign efforts underway

kathleen crocetti watsonville plaza sculptures
Plans are underway to install four larger-than-life sculptures in downtown Watsonville as part of an overall redesign of Watsonville Plaza.  While the historical gazebo/bandstand, designed by famed architect William Weeks, will still maintain its spot in the plaza center, ideas are being discussed to retrofit...

Art meets nature in latest exhibit in downtown Watsonville

Judy Gittelsohn studio judy g
A new art exhibit, which includes workshops and a public tree planting, is set to open at Studio Judy G on Main Street in Watsonville on Jan. 21. “Trees to Be” features works by more than 50 artists and local organizations who deal with the...

Watsonville council declines to place ceasefire resolution on agenda

watsonville city council meeting
The Watsonville City Council on Jan. 16 declined to place a resolution on the Feb. 13 meeting agenda to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict. The motion by Mayor Vanessa Quiroz-Carter failed 6-1, capping off a meeting that began when she called for...

New law protects children in custody cases

Nearly one year ago, court-ordered strangers took a teenage girl and her younger brother from their relative’s home in Santa Cruz and brought them to Los Angeles, where they were forced into a controversial family therapy program with their mother. They were then taken to...

Santa Cruz County Supervisors move forward on housing element update

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The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took a close look at an upcoming update to the housing element of the county’s general plan, a move required of jurisdictions every eight years. Central to the update is the state-mandated Regional Housing Needs Allocation...
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Aptos continues to grind despite rocky start | High school flag...

To be the best, one must beat the best. Aptos might not be there quite just yet as their 2-4 overall record indicates.  However, third-year head...