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John R. Walker Jr., a major fixture in Watsonville’s landscape of firefighting, parades and labor task force, died Jan. 27 of pancreatic cancer. He was 84. Walker  served as a Watsonville Reserve Firefighter for three decades, and left that post as Reserve Lt. Co. No....

APTOS—The Cabrillo College Foundation received the largest estate gift in its history from the late Tom Sourisseau, a former faculty member who died at the end of 2021.  The Anatomy instructor left $2.5 million in his estate plans that will support biology scholarships and faculty...

SANTA CRUZ—The man who slaughtered Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller during a violent crime spree two years ago was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.  Steven Carrillo, 34, also received prison time for attempting to kill four other...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Watsonville and Santa Cruz County officials on Thursday lifted the evacuation orders and flood warnings issued during the dual atmospheric river storms that came on Dec. 30 and Jan. 4, allowing residents to return home and breathe a sigh of relief that...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—As people venture out for the Christmas holiday, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is preparing for a busy travel weekend in Santa Cruz  County.   The CHP will kick off a Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP) beginning at 6:01pm today and will continue through 11:59pm Monday.   During...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—El Sistema Santa Cruz/Pajaro Valley, a nonprofit aiming to bring music education and performance to students, has been selected as a finalist for a prestigious national award. The Lewis Prize for Music announced 10 finalists for its fourth annual Accelerator Awards last week....

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—As Thanksgiving edges closer, the folks at Corralitos Market & Sausage Co. and Freedom Meat Lockers say now is the time to get orders dialed in. “I’ve been at this since April, getting ready and dealing with supply, price changes and everything else,”...

As summer wanes and the school year approaches, hundreds of families gathered in Watsonville Plaza Saturday to receive free new backpacks filled with school supplies. In hosting its annual backpack giveaway, the Salvation Army Watsonville Corps joined with the Red Cross, Community Action Board of...

WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville man who killed his wife and left her body in a vehicle in Santa Cruz—before fleeing to Mexico where he was arrested at the border—was sentenced Oct. 28 to at least 20 years in state prison. Cesar Hernandez, 49, has been in Santa...

The Circus has come to town, this time at Ramsay Park on Main Street in Watsonville.  Circus Royal Spectacular—out of Las Vegas—rolled into town Tuesday, and crews quickly began driving giant tent stakes into the softball diamond  to set up their mammoth bigtop tent. Circus spokesperson...