Drive-throughs a deal-breaker in proposed business park
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously voted against granting a special use permit for a proposed business park at Main Street and Auto Center Drive.
Boos Development Group, Inc. was seeking the permit so that it could construct two drive-throughs alongside roughly 20,000 square...
Photo: Traffic blocks go up at Kmart property
A crew from Vacant Property Security installs one of several traffic blocks in the parking lot of the former Kmart on Freedom Boulevard.
On Oct. 12, the Watsonville City Council started the process of declaring the abandoned property a public nuisance due to illegal...
Biden and senators reach broad infrastructure deal
WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of centrist senators reached a deal on Thursday for $1.2 trillion in investments to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, a victory for the White House but only the first lurch in what promises to be an arduous attempt...
Thriving among the giants
APTOS—Sitting in the cab of a 25-ton Caterpillar excavator, Stephanie Siqueiros works the levers of the dinosaur-like beast to swivel the mechanical arm to reach across the pavement and attach a large scoop bucket. Nimbly, she attaches the bucket, its steel teeth facing skyward,...
Business growing for Creme de Canna
Creme de Canna specializes in the high-tech extraction of cannabinoid (CBD) oils — each of which have their own benefits — that can be incorporated into a variety of products for a wide range of needs.
Gizdich to be honored as ‘Friend of Scouting’
Nita Gizdich, owner and founder of Gizdich Ranch, has been selected as the 2018 “Friend of Scouting.”
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...
Welcome sign gets major update
WATSONVILLE—New metal signs were installed Wednesday on the “Welcome to Watsonville” signboard on Main Street.
The move, headed up by the Sons of Italy, the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture and the Watsonville Woman’s Club, was designed to update the large wood signboard...
Bamboo Giant offering first-ever nighttime walkthrough experience
Located on a busy thoroughfare between Aptos and Watsonville, Bamboo Giant Nursery and Gardens (BGNG) could easily be driven past without a second glance.
But the nursery, tucked into the side of a hill in a rural, forested section of Freedom Boulevard, is actually one...
Planners OK drive-thru Starbucks on Freedom Boulevard
During the pandemic, a white-haired man pulled up to Taqueria Mi Tierra 2 on Freedom Boulevard and began to honk his horn, believing that a carhop would come out to take his order.
The man was remembering the days when the building was still the...
Missed opportunities prove costly for Aptos in loss to King City...
At times, all it takes is one or two lucky plays for a team to catch momentum at the right time.
That wasn’t the case...





















