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Watsonville
December 27, 2025

Briefs: Holiday Mercado; Homeless Memorial

Holiday Mercado honors Watsonville’s past, present and future Arte del Corazón will be hosting its Annual Holiday Mercado, “Just in Time for the Holidays,” at the VFW, 1960 Freedom Blvd., on Dec. 16 from 11am to 7pm.  Featuring more than 25 vendors with gifts, holiday treats...

Santa Cruz otter captures national attention

sea otter santa cruz
A sea otter at Cowell’s Beach on the westside of Santa Cruz has garnered headlines around the country for its "unusual behavior," as described by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The otter, identified as Otter 841 by a tag on its flipper, has recently...

Fifth annual Día de Muertos celebration returns Friday

WATSONVILLE—This Friday the Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) will present its Fifth Annual Día de Muertos celebration at Watsonville City Plaza.  The event will feature a screening of the Disney/Pixar animated movie “Coco,” as well as music, dance and artwork inspired by the traditional Mexican holiday,...

Child dies crossing Highway 101 in Prunedale

sirens
PRUNEDALE—A 7-year-old girl was killed April 7 when she was struck by a car on Highway 101 near Prunedale. California Highway Patrol officer Jessica Madueño said the girl was apparently trying to cross the highway just before 11pm when she stepped into the path of...

Mosaic project part of downtown Watsonville art tour

juan fuentes kathleen crocetti watsonville brillante
WATSONVILLE—Around 240 people attended an art reception and walk Sunday in downtown Watsonville to view the works of San Francisco artist Juan R. Fuentes.  The tour stemmed off a reception at PV Arts in the Porter Building, where the current exhibit features more than 50...

Fire, natural resources officials: prepare for a heavy fire season

California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force cocoanut grove seminar
In 2020, the CZU fires ravaged the Santa Cruz Mountains, destroying 1,490 structures and an untold number of trees. A little more than two years later, many of those downed trees washed down streams into the ocean and, during the storms in January and February,...

South County Open Studios Art Tour is here

Hermelinda Vasquez-Matias
This weekend, 127 artists will open their studios, including 28 participating for the first time. The public is invited to explore the free self-guided Open Studios Art Tour by visiting artists from the Pajaro Valley to Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor between 11am and 5pm...

PHOTO: Knights of Columbus donates to Hope Services

knights of columbus hope services
Fred Martinez, on behalf of the Knights of Columbus Council 11804 in Watsonville, passes a check for $1,422.65 to Mauna Loa Morris, program manager of Hope Services, last week. Hope Services serves children and adults with developmental disabilities. The Knights of Columbus’ 15,900 councils...

Watsonville Hospital to get financial help

Watsonville Hospital
Watsonville Community Hospital is one of 17 medical facilities in California that will receive immediate multimillion-dollar financial assistance in the form of zero-interest loans from the State of California. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced the $300 million Distressed Hospital Loan Program. Locally, this includes...

Local students participate in American Legion civics program

WATSONVILLE—Three students from Watsonville recently took part in a weeklong summer program in Sacramento that teaches young people to be part of their local and state governments. The program—called Boys State—is sponsored by the American Legion. The event includes such activities as mock legislative sessions...
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Powerful storms clobber Central Coast

A string of strong winter storms slammed the Central Coast over the past several days, toppling power and communication lines, knocking down scores of...

ICE becomes an autocratic tool