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SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County officials on Tuesday declared a local emergency in the wake of the atmospheric river winter storm on Dec. 30 and 31 that ravaged roads and infrastructure and caused widespread flooding. The Board of Supervisors will consider the declaration during their...

The Pajaronian was named the state’s best small weekly newspaper in its division Friday, earning top marks in the 2022 California Journalism Awards. The Watsonville newspaper placed first in the General Excellence category, beating out other publications of similar size throughout California. The award, handed out...

Flooded agriculture fields reflect stormy skies and hoop house frames on a farm off of Riverside Drive in Watsonville. Evacuation orders for neighborhoods along the creeks and Pajaro River were downgraded to warnings this morning, but officials are asking the public to stay alert...

LIVE OAK—A group of local officials and community members gathered under a small mid-county parking lot located near Highway 1 Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the groundbreaking for a massive construction project expected to transform the corridor and revolutionize travel countywide. Construction on phase 1 of...

WATSONVILLE—In the latest chapter in the drawn-out saga at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, a local group has created an online petition to remove Board President Don Dietrich. The petitioners say that Dietrich has shown a lack of leadership, and that he put the needs...

Watsonville Police detectives are investigating a gang-related shooting that left two victims injured Wednesday night. The 14- and 18-year-old victims were transported to the hospital, where they are expected to fully recover.   According to WPD spokeswoman Michelle Pulido, police responded to reports of shots fired on...

Kristi Garcia and Omar Rodriguez of Cabrillo Stage sing “Some Day” at Watsonville Rotary Club's lunch gathering Wednesday as a sampling of the theater production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Joined by actor Juan Castro and music/vocal director Michael McGushin, the group performed...

AROMAS—Two people died in a multi-vehicle crash Sunday after a tree crashed onto a car on Highway 101 in Aromas. California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Alfredo Uribe said a Toyota Prius, with two Watsonville women aboard, was traveling south on Highway 101 near Cannon...

The 47-year-old man suspected of killing two people and injuring others early in the morning on Nov. 21 at a Pajaro bar was possibly acting in self-defense and may not face murder charges, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday. Sergio Ramos Carranza turned...

Outgoing Watsonville Mayor Maria Orozco on Tuesday handed her gavel to Kristal Salcido, as the Mayor Pro Tempore seat went to Casey Clark. Under Watsonville ordinance, the council members rotate through the mayor positions every December. Before she ceded her seat, Orozco said she completed 26...