County yoga studios offering live classes online
WATSONVILLE—As the second day of Santa Cruz County’s shelter-in-place order dawned Wednesday morning, Watsonville Yoga, Dance and Healing Arts owner Phoenix Artemisia was busy setting up for class—just not as she normally does.
Artemisia’s mat was unrolled on the ground of her studio on Main...
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...
Hidden Fortress opens second Watsonville shop
WATSONVILLE—Hidden Fortress Coffee Roasting has opened a new branch in the Cabrillo College Watsonville Center at 318 Union St.
They started roasting coffee in 2012 and have one location in Watsonville and another in Seaside. Their first store opened three years ago at 125 Hangar...
Dog training club’s donation helps sick puppy
A sick puppy was treated back to health thanks to the Monterey Bay Dog Training Club’s “Gifts from the Heart” project.
Hampton Inn opens in Watsonville
WATSONVILLE—A project seven years in the making, the 112-room Hampton Inn & Suites opened its doors Monday morning on Lee Road in Watsonville.
The four-story hotel flanks a new Starbucks coffee house and a newly opened Arco gas station and AM/PM mini market, all under...
Envision Fitness & Nutrition launches youth program
WATSONVILLE—A new program has launched at Envision Fitness & Nutrition in downtown Watsonville, aiming to support youth by teaching them about health, wellness, stress management and more.
Envision opened in 2020, during the height of the pandemic. They began with virtual health and fitness classes,...
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...
Street Scene prepares for move
Street Scene’s last day on Main Street is Feb. 1 before it moves to downtown, making way for a major retail project at one of the city’s busiest intersections.
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...
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...






















