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WATSONVILLE—Highway 1 is expected to reopen tonight, according to Caltrans. Caltrans spokesperson Kevin Drabinski said the southbound lanes of the highway, between Salinas Road and Highway 129 (Riverside Drive), are scheduled to open in the evening, while the northbound lanes should be reopened by Thursday...

APTOS—Local artist and Pajaro Valley Arts exhibit coordinator Hedwig Heerschop recently raised $1,000 during the Open Studios Art Tour for children in Ukraine. Heerschop, a fine art photographer and printmaker, raffled off one of her photograph etchings, depicting a blue and yellow sunflower. She sold...

Glen Schaller, whose grassroots work touched nearly every aspect of local progressive politics for the past four decades in both the Central Coast and throughout California, who led campaigns for numerous elected leaders, and who joined the battle for LGBTQ+ equality long before it...

After five months of negotiations, nurses at Watsonville Community Hospital have ratified a three-year contract that they say helps to improve patient safety and increase nurse retention. The California Nurses Association, which represents 250 nurses at the hospital, made the announcement on Dec. 9. It...

PAJARO VALLEY—A growing list of helping hands during the flood crisis that struck Pajaro recently continues to dole out badly needed goods and services. On Saturday the staff at Pajaro Valley Shelter Services in Watsonville invited 100 families from Pajaro to help themselves to new...

For five days last week, Watsonville Police Department officers joined police, firefighters and medical professionals from around the county—and beyond—in active shooter training, running through policies and live scenarios at the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District tri-campus in Felton. Sgt. Mish Radich, who headed...

WATSONVILLE—The race for the District 7 seat on the Watsonville City Council has been the tightest contest in all of Santa Cruz County this general election. Current District 7 representative Ari Parker and former Watsonville mayor Nancy Bilicich are separated by a mere 10 votes,...

Robert Rivas was sworn in as the 71st Speaker of the California State Assembly during a special session Friday at the Capitol. “California is still the greatest state in the union,” Rivas, a Hollister Democrat who represents the 29th Assembly District, said. “But if we...

Law enforcement officials are investigating a suspicious death after a man was found dead in a vehicle in Aptos early Tuesday morning. According to California Highway Patrol Officer Israel Murillo, officers responded to the Rancho Del Mar Shopping Center parking lot on the corner of...

SANTA CRUZ—In 2022, Coastal Kids Home Care provided in-home nursing care for 65 children with serious and life-threatening illnesses, work that also benefited 228 family members. Such services are vital in Santa Cruz County, where an estimated 1,700 young people need such services, says Christine...