Local News

WATSONVILLE—Rodriguez, Union and Brennan streets will soon undergo much-needed pedestrian safety improvements. Those three sections of Watsonville’s downtown corridor were tabbed for the first phase of the City’s Downtown Complete Streets Plan, an extensive document that sets a roadmap for a slew of street improvement...

Special events Sip Shop & Shoe Talk (Feb. 29) Join us for a Fashion Day out with fashion blogger and shoe designer Flor de Maria of Flor de Maria Fashion. Shop from her latest shoe line and save 20 percent. Plus champagne and cupcakes with a discount...

WATSONVILLE—For the past decade, Youth N.O.W. of Watsonville has aimed to provide students in the Pajaro Valley a safe, positive environment—long after the final school bell rings.  The nonprofit was the brainchild of Dave Grazian, who retired after more than 30 years with Granite Construction...

WATSONVILLE—Hundreds of students, staff and parents gathered at Ann Soldo Elementary School on Feb. 20 to celebrate the school’s 20th anniversary. Principal Elaine Parker said the celebration came in the same year that the school’s namesake would have turned 100. Ann Soldo taught fifth through eighth...

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District teachers are questioning a contract proposal by district officials that hinges a 1 percent salary increase on raising attendance rates to 97 percent. Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers President Nelly Vaquera-Boggs called that requirement unrealistic. “They are asking us to control...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously approved the Safe Routes to Schools plan, a 472-page document that outlines numerous potential pedestrian and traffic safety projects at 15 Watsonville schools. Also known as the Complete Streets to School Planning Project,...

Do you have a recent photo you’d like to share? Send it to us for consideration by emailing it to [email protected] or mailing it to 21 Brennan St., Suite 14, Watsonville, CA 95076. Please include a brief description of the photo as well as...

Todd Guild FOOD: Freedom Bakery I had a sweet tooth one morning, so I thought I’d check out Freedom Bakery.  Tucked incongruously into a strip of industrially-zoned businesses, the place is not easy to find. But it’s worth checking out, if only to see what this unique...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Senior Center is in the midst of an extensive, long-needed exterior facelift. New tables, chairs and other furniture now grace the community staple. A ramp compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act is in the works. And a new paint job and...

WATSONVILLE—The proposed business park at 975 Main St. will move forward despite drawing the ire of the Watsonville City Council at Tuesday night’s meeting. The Council via a 4-3 decision approved Santa Cruz Seaside Company’s appeal of the Planning Commission’s no vote from late last...