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Watsonville
January 21, 2026

City seeks to expand cannabis businesses

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday will provide direction on major proposed modifications to the City’s cannabis laws, including the possible addition of multiple dispensaries. According to the staff report prepared for Tuesday’s meeting, the City is recommending the addition of two retail licenses as...

Ex-Driscoll’s exec sentenced to 2 years in prison for embezzlement

SAN JOSE—A former executive at an international Watsonville berry giant was sentenced Thursday to more than two years in federal prison for embezzlement, United States Attorney David Anderson announced. Marc Marier, 42, was sentenced to 29 months in prison and ordered to pay more than...

Local grower on cutting edge of organic farming

WATSONVILLE—About 200 people disembarked three large charter buses on Green Valley Road in Watsonville early Wednesday morning as part of the EcoFarm Bus Tour, a kickoff to the EcoFarm Conference in Pacific Grove this week.  The tour was visiting Strong Agronomy, a management company that...

Watsonville charter school moving into Gottschalks building

Watsonville prep Gottschalks building
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville’s newest charter school now has a permanent home, and a long-vacant building on the Main Street corridor will soon have a new tenant. Watsonville Prep School, which opened in August with 180 kindergarteners, first- and second-grade students, plans to occupy the second floor of...

City closes first period of cannabis applications

cannabis
WATSONVILLE—A total of 18 cannabis license applications, spanning across all fields of the industry, have been submitted to the City of Watsonville in time for its Oct. 15 deadline.  Community Development Department Director Suzi Merriam said that the process went smoothly, and the amount of...

Healthy grapes, less regulations spell good news for local wineries

wineries pajaro valley
After a year of ups and downs, things are looking good for wineries in the Pajaro Valley. That is according to two long-standing wineries, both nestled in the Pleasant Valley area between Watsonville and Aptos. Alfaro Family Vineyard-Winery was first established in 1997 by Richard...

The Chop Shop moving downtown

WATSONVILLE—A popular local barbershop will soon move to downtown Watsonville. The Chop Shop is planning to relocate from the city’s outskirts on Freedom Boulevard to the corner of Main Street and East Lake Avenue, according to owner Gabino Varela. The 471 Main St. location currently houses...

Stay loyal, stay local: Gift ideas from around the Pajaro Valley

Looking for places to shop for loved ones this holiday season? You don’t have to rely on Amazon or other large retailers—instead, look into small, locally-owned stores right here in the Pajaro Valley. Contact the stores directly, follow on social media and check out...

Watsonville businesses embrace outdoor operations

WATSONVILLE—As many shelter-in-place restrictions remain in place due to Covid-19, state, county and city officials have looked for ways to allow businesses to open safely. This has included moving outdoors—onto sidewalks, into parking lots and even streets. Watsonville businesses have slowly been making the move,...

Tight market, recent disasters put strain on local home buyers

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—For the past few years, local real estate agents have seen a drastic dip in inventory of homes in Santa Cruz County. And with the ongoing pandemic and recent wildfires that destroyed close to 1,000 homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the...
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Body discovered during search for 73-year-old hiker

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office announced the discovery of a body in a densely-wooded area off of Ice Cream Grade on the north...