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A sea otter at Cowell’s Beach on the westside of Santa Cruz has garnered headlines around the country for its "unusual behavior," as described by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The otter, identified as Otter 841 by a tag on its flipper, has recently...

An atmospheric river storm bearing down on the Bay Area could bring 2-3 inches of rain, with four inches expected in the mountains.

Valencia Elementary School was closed Friday after numerous students were sickened by what is likely norovirus. The school will reopen Tuesday. Pajaro Valley Unified School District notified parents in an email on Nov. 7. “The purpose of the school closure is to stop the additional...

Watsonville has gotten its newest retail cannabis dispensary. Catalyst Cannabis, which has 17 other locations statewide, is the city’s third pot shop. The store opened on June 2, and plans a grand opening for the end of July. General Manager Jon Kolodinski has roots in Santa Cruz...

Live music and folkloric dance performances unfolded in Watsonville Plaza Friday evening thanks to the Watsonville Film Festival and Cabrillo College’s Hispanic Serving Institution Week. Mexican Fiesta was a two-hour free family event that featured Mariachi Juvenil Corazón Jaliscience from Hollister and Laura Rebolloso,...

WATSONVILLE—In 1961, two years after Cabrillo College in Aptos was established, Rich Hart was hired by the school to start its brand new Engineering department.  Hart would go on to be chair of the department as well as its sole instructor for 34 years, teaching...

Emergency officials deal with a solo-vehicle crash Friday on Carlton Road, east of Watsonville. The California Highway Patrol said the male driver of the Toyota Tundra was not injured when he lost control while traveling south on Carlton Road at Coward Road at about...

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...

This weekend, 127 artists will open their studios, including 28 participating for the first time. The public is invited to explore the free self-guided Open Studios Art Tour by visiting artists from the Pajaro Valley to Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor between 11am and 5pm...

Starr Linden and Andy Griffin stand on a gentle slope overlooking part of their sprawling Watsonville farm, each of them taking turns describing the process of creating the property’s centerpiece—a hand-built labyrinth of 3,000 fragrant lavender plants. “This was a Covid project,” Griffin said proudly. Using...