Photo story: Crash marks third in same area
A tow operator cleans up the area where a driver smashed into a utility pole Friday morning on Airport Boulevard at Roache Road. Watsonville Police said the male driver was traveling southbound on Freedom Boulevard just before 9am when he lost control of his...
Deputies, CHP officers save suicidal man
Law enforcement officials in Monterey County rescued a possibly suicidal man who was threatening to jump off the San Miguel Canyon Road overpass on Sunday.
According to the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to assist the California Highway Patrol for a report of a...
Egg drop tests amateur engineers
Area youths tested their engineering skills Friday in downtown Watsonville at the 2026 Egg Drop Challenge.
The 23rd annual contest celebrates National Engineers Week, which aims to honor engineers as well as inspire future generations to join the field.
Groups from local schools, community programs and...
Panetta tells businesses he’ll fight offshore oil drilling
Since November, local business leaders have grown concerned about the impacts that offshore oil drilling may have on the region’s economy, after the Trump administration released a plan proposing two sites off California’s central coast.
In reaction, advocates of local industries that rely on a...
Watsonville City Council hears traffic safety plan
The Watsonville City Council on Feb. 10 reviewed a draft Vision Zero Corridor Study aimed at reducing traffic deaths and serious injuries, particularly among pedestrians and bicyclists.
The proposal calls for several changes along Freedom Boulevard, including lane reductions, a traffic circle at Lincoln Street,...
Panetta secures $3.15M for Santa Cruz Wharf repairs
When the end of the Santa Cruz Municipal wharf was smashed by surging waves during storms in December 2024, representatives from Congressman Jimmy Panetta’s office called the city’s Parks and Recreation director Tony Elliot to offer help within about an hour.
Elliot said the speed...
Farmer’s Market manager Jesus Madrigal recognized
Watsonville Certified Farmer’s Market manager Jesus Madrigal was recognized at a Feb. 10 City Council meeting with a framed proclamation handed to him by Mayor Kristal Salcedo.
In addition to his work at the market, Madrigal also oversees the operation at Pinto Lake City Park...
Two crashes occur in two days in same location
A pair of crashes in two days knocked out power and tore down two utility poles a few hundred feet apart on Airport Boulevard.
The first crash occurred at 7:55am Sunday when a woman lost control of her SUV and smashed into a utility pole...
National leadership award lands in local hands
Gina Castañeda, who founded Aztecas Youth Soccer Academy, received this year’s Kim Crabbe Game Changers Award from the U.S. Soccer Federation.
She received the award...
