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Watsonville
July 3, 2025

Entrepreneur takes gamble on new career

The Hiccuping Dragon is a small hot dog stand nestled in Rio Del Mar Esplanade. With a beachside real estate, ocean views and a steady crowd of hungry beachgoers, Hammond couldn’t have picked a better spot for his four-month-old stand.

Giving music stores a chance

For almost a century, Jansen Music has been a staple in the music community, offering instruments, equipment, lessons and repair services.

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...

El Pájaro CDC’s Regional Women’s Business Center officially opens

WATSONVILLE—More than 100 people convened on Zoom on June 18 for the grand opening of a new center dedicated to women in business. The El Pájaro Community Development Corporation (El Pájaro CDC) has launched a Regional Women’s Business Center (RWBC) in Watsonville, with plans to...

EcoFarm bus tour rolls through Watsonville

The 39th annual EcoFarm Conference returned to Pacific Grove this week, and with it came the annual bus tour of local organic farms.

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...

Store hands out 8,200 pounds of chicken to Second Harvest

second harvest food bank staff of life smart chicken
WATSONVILLE—Second Harvest Food Bank’s efforts to aid Pajaro flood victims received a boost Wednesday when Staff of Life Natural Foods and Smart Chicken donated more than four tons of chicken.  With the Smart Giving Program, Staff of Life Natural Foods and Smart Chicken donated over...

Gov. Newsom announces assistance for Covid-impacted businesses

newsom covid-19 assistance
SACRAMENTO—Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced that the state will provide temporary tax relief for eligible businesses that have been impacted by Covid-19 restrictions. Under the plan, taxpayers filing less than $1 million in sales tax receive an automatic three-month income tax extension. It also...

Food service industry faces unprecedented labor shortage

Two weeks ago, Amelia Loftus, owner of Hidden Fortress Coffee Roasting, was on the brink of closing her cafe in Watsonville just shy of its five-year anniversary. The shop, located at the end of a sleepy business complex on Hangar Way, had been struggling to...

County businesses achieve ‘green’ status

Four Watsonville businesses will join 19 others across the county in receiving Green Business Certificates.
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Homicide suspect arrested in Switzerland

A Santa Cruz man was arrested recently in Switzerland in connection with the death of his father, 90-year-old Robert Smallwood.