Local News

WATSONVILLE—The Monterey Bay Birding Festival has been mothballed for the second year in a row due to pandemic complications. Despite most levels of society, from schools, businesses, services and government, edging back toward normal operations, the festival—in its 17th year—couldn’t get off the ground. “The festival...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Community Hospital has a new chief executive officer.  Steven Salyer, who has 14 years of leadership experience in hospitals throughout the U.S., started the position on July 6. The hospital announced the move on July 14. Salyer previously served as chief operating officer at UP...

Watsonville firefighters respond to a small fire in the Resetar Residential Hotel on east Lake Avenue Wednesday, which forced the evacuation of dozens of residents and closed East Lake Avenue for a short time. According to Watsonville Fire Battalion Chief Corey Schaffer, the fire...

WATSONVILLE—A man died Tuesday evening after a big rig and small car collided on San Juan Road on the outskirts of Watsonville. Monterey County Sheriff/Coroner’s Office Cmdr. Derrel Simpson identified the victim as Jose Avila Rios, 36, of Salinas. California Highway Patrol officer Jessica Madueño said...

According to the California Strawberry Commission, about 90% of all strawberries in the U.S. are grown in California. The fruit thrives in the state, due to its need for year-round moderate weather, which allows its roots to grow strong and stable.  On the Central Coast, consistent...

WATSONVILLE—The National Association of Counties (NACo) recently renewed its call to have the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers change how it distributes its flood control funding. Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend, a NACo board member, says that, too often, funding decisions for federal flood...

WATSONVILLE—Roughly 60 people—many of them on bikes—gathered on the southwest outskirts of Watsonville on July 17 to celebrate the completion of the first phase of the city’s segment of the Coastal Rail Trail. The ribbon-cutting for the 12-foot wide, quarter-mile-long strip of asphalt between Walker...

WATSONVILLE—When new Pajaro Valley High School Principal Consuelo Mason was in third grade, her third-grade teacher inspired a lifelong dream to become an educator. “She showed me that anything was possible,” Mason said. By coincidence, when she had earned her teaching credential and entered a classroom...

With more people contracting Covid-19 locally and increased reports of the Delta variant, Monterey, Napa, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties in a joint statement Monday recommend that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks indoors in public places.  This includes places such as grocery...

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) on July 14 held two virtual town halls, one in English and one in Spanish, to receive input from parents and the public regarding the use of $52.7 million from Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER)...