80.4 F
Watsonville
May 9, 2025

Briefs: Elks Lodge collecting teddy bears; Deep Roots Dance Fest returns

Elks Lodge collecting teddy bears for first responders Watsonville Elks Lodge members are collecting teddy bears to donate to Watsonville’s first responders that will be handed out to children whom have been in a critical situation for comfort. The lodge will host a dinner to present...

Briefs: Holiday Mercado; Homeless Memorial

Holiday Mercado honors Watsonville’s past, present and future Arte del Corazón will be hosting its Annual Holiday Mercado, “Just in Time for the Holidays,” at the VFW, 1960 Freedom Blvd., on Dec. 16 from 11am to 7pm.  Featuring more than 25 vendors with gifts, holiday treats...

National group urges flood control funding formula changes

The National Association of Counties (NACo) on July 21 voted unanimously to urge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) to change the way it funds flood control projects for economically disadvantaged communities. Currently, the ACOE uses a 1:1 benefit-cost ratio when figuring the feasibility...

PHOTO: Community lights up menorah for Hanukkah

hanukkah town clock santa cruz menorah lighting
Leila Veitch lights up the first candle of a menorah Thursday evening at the town clock in downtown Santa Cruz in honor of her friend Ziva Mitnick on the first night of Hanukkah. The gathering, headed up by Temple Beth El of Aptos, included...

PHOTOS: Santa Claus lands in Watsonville

santa claus ramsay park
Melissa Arana, 3, pays visit to Santa Monday at Ramsay Park in Watsonville after Santa and one of his helpers landed in a helicopter. More than 100 people lined up to watch the landing in a soccer field and then stepped up to greet...

Supervisors approve half-cent sales tax for March ballot

santa cruz county seal logo
Santa Cruz County residents will consider a half-cent sales tax on the March 5 ballot which, if approved by a simple majority, will fund wildfire protection programs, as well as public safety, road and park improvements and other services. The Santa Cruz County Board of...

Watsonville Hospital nurses ratify contract

Watsonville Hospital
After five months of negotiations, nurses at Watsonville Community Hospital have ratified a three-year contract that they say helps to improve patient safety and increase nurse retention. The California Nurses Association, which represents 250 nurses at the hospital, made the announcement on Dec. 9. It...

$2 million grant for METRO will help launch Watsonville housing project

Santa Cruz metro
The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District has received a $2 million grant that will be used to redevelop the Watsonville Transit Center into an affordable, transit-oriented housing development. The funding will cover the architecture and engineering phase of the project, a process that will begin...

Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors appoints new chair, vice chair

felipe hernandez justin commings santa cruz county board of supervisors
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors unanimously appointed Justin Cummmings as this year’s board chair, and Felipe Hernandez as vice chair. While the chair role is largely ceremonial, the supervisor in that position leads the meetings and often serves as the spokesperson for the...

Honoring the dead at PV Arts

The annual Mi Casa es Tu Casa exhibit opened Thursday at Pajaro Valley Arts on Sudden Street.  The show explores the connection between the living and those who have passed. Typically, altars (ofrendas) are built in homes and public spaces to honor and remember the...
7,696FansLike
4,944FollowersFollow
2,895FollowersFollow

Queer Youth Leadership Awards set for Saturday

It has been almost three decades since local organizers launched the Queer Youth Leadership Awards, an event created to highlight young people whose work...