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Watsonville
October 30, 2025

Michelle Rodriguez leaving PVUSD

Michelle Rodriguez PVUSD
Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez will be leaving the school district, after taking the same position with Stockton Unified School District. Rodriguez made the announcement June 2. Her last day will be June 30. “To the remarkable Pajaro Valley community that has embraced...

Construction begins on oft-delayed 144-unit housing project in Watsonville

hillcrest homes groundbreaking
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville’s newest residential development broke ground on Feb. 17, nearly five years after it was originally approved by the city council. Hillcrest, located off of Ohlone Parkway, will consist of 144 units when fully built out over several phases, including 76 townhomes, 63 duplexes, and...

Andy Vargas Foundation hands out scholarships, prepares for concert

Daisy Fernandez has loved music since she was a child. She began singing when she was barely 3 years old, encouraged by her musically inclined family.  But despite this passion, Fernandez had not had much teaching or performance experience. “I always wanted to take classes and...

Cabrillo College trustees approve name change

cabrillo college
APTOS—Cabrillo College’s governing board voted Monday to change the institution’s name after a two-hour discussion that included comments from dozens of community members. The trustees voted 6-1 in favor of renaming the college, with trustee Rachel Spencer dissenting.  The decision followed the Nov. 10 release of...

Watsonville man arrested in Jan. 22 homicide

watsonville police homicide sunnyhills drive
WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville man has been arrested for fatally shooting Armando Saldana on Jan. 22 in an apartment complex on the 200 block of Sunnyhills Drive.  The suspect, 29-year-old Felipe Jimenez, was tracked down by detectives in San Jose and arrested on murder charges Monday night,...

Watsonville Community Hospital CEO leaves post

Steven Salyer watsonville hospital
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Community Hospital CEO Steven Salyer has left his post, and the board that oversees the hospital will meet on March 22 to discuss how his replacement will be chosen. In a letter to employees on Monday, Pajaro Valley Healthcare District Board President John Friel...

Motorcyclist dies after colliding with big rig on Carlton Road

carlton road fatal crash motorcycle big rig
A San Jose woman died on Carlton Road Monday when her motorcycle collided with a big rig at the corner of Thompson Road around 3:30pm.  California Highway Patrol Sgt. Robert Padilla said the woman was traveling southbound on Carlton Road on a 2023 Honda CBR600RR...

Victims ID’d in fatal plane crash

watsonville municipal airport
WATSONVILLE—The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Coroner has identified the three victims in a midair collision between two airplanes on Aug. 18 above Watsonville Municipal Airport.  Carl Kruppa, 75, and Nannette Plett-Kruppa, 67, both of Winton, Calif. were aboard the Cessna 340 twin-engine plane, while Stuart...

Crews hope to patch Pajaro River levee breach by end of Monday

pajaro river levee breach flood
PAJARO—A secondary breach of the Pajaro River near the Pacific Ocean Monday has helped relieve pressure from the levee and lower floodwaters in Pajaro. Crews are working 24/7 to make emergency repairs to the primary breach of the levee near Murphy Crossing Road that has...

Watsonville’s Crystal Bay Farm opens annual pumpkin patch

For more than 20 years, Crystal Bay Farm owners Lori and Jeff Fiorovich have offered the Pajaro Valley community a homegrown harvest tradition. Every October, the couple transforms their farm into a family-friendly pumpkin patch, where people can come and pick out the perfect pumpkin,...
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Man shot to death in Main Street business center

This story has ben updated from a previous version. One person was shot to death Wednesday night near a suite of restaurants and businesses that...