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Watsonville
December 25, 2025

Photo: Lighted Boat Parade returns

Boats in the Santa Cruz Harbor are illuminated Sunday night after the annual Lighted Boat Parade was held the night prior. The event, put on by the Santa Cruz Yacht Club, returned after two years of being canceled due to Covid-19. The rainy evening...

PVUSD teachers ask for raises, district looks to shrinking budget

PVUSD
WATSONVILLE—A plethora of teachers addressed Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s Board of Trustees Wednesday night, asking for pay increases they say would help them live in Santa Cruz County and help the district retain its educators. District officials, meanwhile, say there is not enough in...

Hernandez leads Dutra in race for 4th district

WATSONVILLE—Felipe Hernandez has taken an early lead on Jimmy Dutra in the race for the 4th District Santa Cruz County Supervisor seat, according to initial results reported by the County Elections Department. Hernandez, the former mayor of Watsonville and current member of the Cabrillo College...

PV Water calls for bids to construct College Lake project

watsonville smell
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency Board of Directors authorized staff to advertise for bids to construct the College Lake Integrated Resources Management Project.  PVWMA officials say the project will provide much-needed water to the critically overdrafted basin of the Pajaro Valley by supplying 1,800...

Collision with pedestrian bridge shuts Soquel Drive

UPDATE: Soquel Drive has reopened. ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Westbound Soquel Drive at Cabrillo College is closed indefinitely after a trailer hauling an excavator struck a pedestrian bridge. The collision occurred at about 12:30pm at Cabrillo College Drive. California Highway Patrol is advising motorists to avoid the area, and...

FEMA center opens to assist Pajaro flood victims

FEMA watsonville old city hall disaster recovery center
WATSONVILLE—A disaster recovery center opened in downtown Watsonville on Friday to direct Pajaro flood victims to federal relief programs. The center, operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is open daily (except April 9) from 9am to 7pm at Old City Hall, 250 Main St....

Community Foundation Santa Cruz County announces $1.58M in grants

community foundation
A grant announced May 25 by the Community Foundation Santa Cruz County will allow the nonprofit Salud y Cariño to continue its mission of bringing physical fitness and socio-emotional programs to Santa Cruz County girls. The Santa Cruz-based organization was one of 77 nonprofits that...

Watsonville Strawberry Festival returns Aug. 4-6 to downtown

Watsonville strawberry festival
The community is gearing up for the Watsonville Strawberry Festival 2023, a beloved annual event that celebrates the region's rich agricultural heritage. This year’s festival promises to be a delightful extravaganza, with a special focus on showcasing local arts and crafts vendors, a Berry...

Travels by Tarmo: Layered history of the Sacramento Delta

California road trips to the desert, the State Capitol, the San Joaquin Valley, the Bay Area or the Sierra foothills have been turning up a  bounty of rewards for my wife, Sarah, and me.  This was proven on our recent drive from Watsonville to Sacramento...

New county park approved for Watsonville

whiting road
The Watsonville area is set to get its first county park in decades. The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved the purchase of a 38.5-acre parcel on Whiting Road, an unused patch of low-lying woodland that sits between two agricultural fields,...
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PV’s Lara-Alvarez named Santa Lucia’s top player | All-PCAL football

In 2024, Pajaro Valley senior Benito Lara-Alvarez was primarily on the defensive side of the ball for the Grizzlies. Prior to the start of this...

ICE becomes an autocratic tool