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Watsonville
January 15, 2026

Circus Vargas sets up at Capitola Mall

Workers are busy Tuesday setting up the bigtop tent for the visiting Circus Vargas in the parking lot of the Capitola Mall.

New eateries settle into Aptos Village

APTOS—A group of business owners from the new Aptos Village complex gathered for a meeting in early March to discuss possible events and projects they wanted to do together. Their aim was to bring the community into the blooming hub.  But days later those plans...

Local winery honors Watsonville legend “One-Eyed Charley”

If you’ve ever strolled through Pioneer Cemetery in Watsonville, you might have come across the final resting place of Charley Darkey Parkhurst, a stagecoach driver, farmer and rancher who has become a local legend since their death in 1879. Born Charlotte Darkey Parkhurst, Charley was...

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,...

Little Trends Children’s Boutique opens Friday

WATSONVILLE—Sisters-in-law Araceli Gonzalez and Laura Espindola first had the idea to open their own business more than two years ago.  Both mothers with a passion for shopping, they wanted to open a shop full of products for young children and new (and expecting) mothers.  “We had...

Local personal trainer launches new business

WATSONVILLE—Opening a new business during a global pandemic might at first seem like a risky move. But for Christian Diaz, it was also an opportunity. With most fitness centers throughout the state remaining closed to stop the spread of Covid-19, people have been looking for...

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...

Second Harvest hosts annual awards dinner

On March 7, Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County hosted one of the organization’s most popular events of the year.

PHOTO: Watsonville business park takes shape

Watsonville business
Work continues on a new business complex on the 1000 block of Main Street under the direction of the Santa Cruz Seaside Co. Construction is expected to wrap up by the end of the year, with businesses Chipotle, The Habit Burger Grill, Charter Spectrum,...

Central Coast untouched in Newsom’s clampdown on bars, restaurants

newsom bars closed
SACRAMENTO—California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday ordered bars and restaurants in 19 counties to close their indoor dining options for at least three weeks, as the state faces increasing cases of Covid-19 and residents plan for the busy July 4 weekend. The state saw 5,898...
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Watsonville nurses rally against ICU closure

Several dozen Watsonville Community Hospital nurses and staff warned Wednesday that closing the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit—an idea they said officials have floated amid...