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Watsonville
December 23, 2025

Bruce W. Woolpert Algebra Academy makes first full return since pandemic

Michael Rozen said Aug. 1 he would rather be playing sports with his friends than attending the weeklong Bruce W. Woolpert Algebra Academy offered by Graniterock.  While Michael stopped short of admitting an affinity for math, the 13-year-old admits the experience will prepare him for...

Open Farm Tours returns Oct. 8-9

Open Farm Tours
Open Farm Tours (OFT) returns Oct. 8 and 9, offering the community a chance to visit organic farms, meet local farmers and learn about how their food is grown. The event, which has been held for the past nine years, is more than doubling the...

Finding his roots, telling his story: Local filmmaker looking for cast, crew

Pedro Gonzalez-Renteria
As a young child growing up in Watsonville, Pedro Gonzalez-Renteria dreamed of being a filmmaker.  That dream was fomented when his father got a video camera, and he and his friends and siblings would use it to make their own versions of skit comedy shows...

Violent, court-ordered removal of children sparks community outcry

SANTA CRUZ—For the purposes of this article, Maya and Sebastian Laing’s story begins on Oct. 20, when a group of strangers paid a late-night visit to their grandmother’s house where they had been staying.  After trying unsuccessfully to convince the kids to come with them...

Fireworks seizure the largest in Watsonville history

Watsonville police arrested two men on July 3 after they were found with more than 4,500 pounds of illegal fireworks. The bust is the largest in Watsonville Police history, and the biggest on the Central Coast this year, police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said. Luis Martinez and...

Adrian Gonzalez’s bid for freedom denied, case heads to jury trial

A Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge ruled Tuesday that there is enough evidence that the man who raped and killed 8-year-old Madyson (Maddy) Middleton in 2015 would pose a continued danger to the public if he is released. Adrian Jerry (A.J.) Gonzalez, now 24,...

East Lake Village’s Shop Small event welcomes the holidays

small business saturday east lake village shopping center
The folks at East Lake Village Shopping Center kicked off the holiday season with their Shop Small Saturday event, where businesses there welcomed the public to an all-day festive celebration. The event included: • Santa and Mrs. Claus greeting  • Coffee and Cars Car Show hosted by...

Watsonville Public House taproom opens in Watsonville

The former Watsonville Meat Locker building — which later became Stevie G Meats — was a huge draw Thursday, but this time it was for something new: a pint of homemade beer inside a sparkling new brewery and taproom on Main Street. The Watsonville Public...

County Supervisors appoint new sheriff

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously appointed Undersheriff Chris Clark to take the agency’s lead role, a decision that was backed by several members of the public and the leaders of numerous agencies that addressed the board. This included both Santa...

March 1st 2024 Edition

These are a collection of images from our photojournalist Tarmo Hannula that did not make it into stories, but we think should be enjoyed. Do you have a photo you’d like to be considered for our gallery? Send it to [email protected].
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Letters to the Editor Dec. 12-26

Praise for Watsonville Fire Chief Lopez In 1996, I took my New School students to the Watsonville Fire Department on Second Street for an educational...

ICE becomes an autocratic tool