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Watsonville
February 15, 2026

Small businesses look to holiday shoppers for support

WATSONVILLE—On Nov. 28, Watsonville joined the annual nationwide shopping movement known as Small Business Saturday, which aims to encourage shoppers to support businesses in their community. The event had a number of small stores at the East Lake Village Shopping Center opening for special...

Kaiser Permanente ‘reorganization’ will not affect Santa Cruz County locations

Kaiser Permanente
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A recent reduction to employees in the Kaiser Permanente corporation—about 200 positions—will not reach Santa Cruz County, a spokesman said Tuesday. One of the largest private employers in California, the company has more than 149,000 employees and 16,000 physicians in the state. In addition,...

New ice cream shop to open in Aptos

Bruster's aptos ice cream
APTOS—Sometime in the summer, Mid-County will have a new ice cream shop, a walk-up establishment near the heart of Aptos Village. Bruster’s Real Ice Cream—headquartered in Pennsylvania with 200 locations throughout the U.S. and in South Korea—features 24 flavors that are hand-made on-site daily, says...

Miches and Ceviches grows from humble, online beginnings

Miches and Ceviches Watsonville
WATSONVILLE—A little more than a year ago, Perla Pineda said she had a thought in the back of her mind that would not let her get a good night’s rest. “I felt like something else was calling me,” she said. She remembers waking up in the...

Kitchen incubator celebrating five years

El Pajaro Community Development Corporation's Commercial Kitchen Incubator, 412 East Riverside Drive in Watsonville, will celebrate its fifth anniversary with Tacos and Tapas on Aug. 23 from 6-9 p.m.

Martinelli’s among brands searching for safer bottle cap options

martinelli's bottle caps
WATSONVILLE—When the nonprofit Defend Our Health tested bottle caps from 141 beverage brands, they found potentially harmful chemicals in more than a third of them. Two Martinelli’s products were among these brands, but the Watsonville-based apple juice and cider company says it is now...

Cilantro’s gives back to community

Cilantros COVID-19
WATSONVILLE—Cilantro’s Parrilla Y Cantina recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, and the Mexican restaurant is not slowing down even with shelter-in-place orders in effect. The business remains open seven days a week, albeit with a limited staff, and is still offering takeout orders of about 90...

Around for 40 years

The Bagelry, situated in three locations in Santa Cruz County, has been a pillar in the restaurant world for the past 40 years. First established in 1977 on Seabright Avenue at Soquel Avenue, the sit-down/take-out eatery has continued to grow, not only wi

A new start in Aptos for Freedom Tattoo

Grand opening event planned for March.

Event-based businesses struggle to stay afloat

Event-based businesses
WATSONVILLE—The Covid-19 pandemic has hit businesses hard, from the largest of companies to the smallest mom-and-pop shops. Rules continue to change as cases flatten and then spike, leaving business owners dealing with back-and-forth openings and closures. But for those who made their living off of...
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Photo story: Early morning crash causes power outage

Police and first responders responded to a crash on the 100 block of Airport Boulevard at 7:55am Sunday that toppled a power pole and...