Local News

The Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Foundation is looking for volunteers to plant flowers for this year’s fair. Every year volunteers help plant more than 2,300 flower starters that will be in full bloom at fair time.  “We will be planting red, white and blue petunias...

The public tests their rhythmic skills alongside members of Watsonville Taiko during the annual Obon Festival in 2025 at the Watsonville Buddhist Temple. The annual event is scheduled for Sunday at noon at 423 Bridge St. The free event includes entertainment, a vendor’s market,...

Gisselle Padilla spent much of her childhood translating for her parents, who worked in the strawberry fields after immigrating from Mexico. Years later, she found herself advocating for her own son during Individualized Education Program meetings, frustrated that she often felt unheard and unable to...

Work has started on a lengthy trail for pedestrians and bicyclists along sections of Harkins Slough and Lee roads near Pajaro Valley High School.  Watsonville Principal Patrice Theriot said the City contracted Monterey Peninsula Engineering to construct Phase 1 of the “Lee Road Trail” project.   Designed...

People in six counties around the Bay Area and Watsonville came out on July 3 to voice their disapproval of a federal plan by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to build immigration detention facilities in Gilroy and Dublin.  A crowd of around 20 people...

Recent Watsonville High graduate Azucena Sandoval spent much of her education learning the fundamentals of science she will study this fall at Stanford University. But she rarely got to put those concepts into practical use. That changed in late June when she participated in SkyLab,...

The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday gave final approval to a new camping ordinance creating designated “no-encampment zones,” allowing the city to immediately remove encampments from certain public areas without providing the standard 72-hour notice. The vote marked the ordinance’s second reading, making it final. The...

Thousands of people lines the mainstreets of Aptos and Watsonville for their annual Fourth of July parades, some staking out their roadside seats the night before. Below is a collection of images from the events. SPIRIT OF WATSONVILLE All Watsonville photos by Tarmo Hannula APTOS WORLD'S SHORTEST...

Everyone is invited to pedal along in a community bike ride July 5. Grab your bikes and bring the whole family for a fun ride on the Ohlone Loop Trail. The route, described as gently challenging, starts at 150 Westridge Drive in Watsonville. The free...