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Watsonville
December 26, 2025

Artists create ‘Curious Narratives’

curious narratives santa cruz art league
Larger than life eyeball models stare from a desk drawer; a paper bird clings to a swing inside an antique cage; a set of pastel crayons are tucked neatly into a vest pocket; globes, candles, early day photos, antlers—the visual explosion goes on and...

Eviction decision tabled for Meals on Wheels

meals on wheels ray cancino community bridges live oak
LIVE OAK—The Live Oak School District (LOSD) Board of Trustees on Wednesday tabled a decision of whether to enforce an eviction notice to the senior programs using their building in Live Oak. Meals on Wheels—overseen by Community Bridges—and Senior Network Services both use the building...

County Supervisors ratify emergency declaration

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A little more than a week ago, a series of weather calamities began that assailed the Central Coast, bringing torrential rain that flooded several neighborhoods and destroyed multiple homes. In addition, a coastal swell decimated the wharf at Seacliff State Beach and rendered...

Driver dies after chase, plunge off West Cliff Drive

A Santa Cruz man died May 10 when the SUV he was driving plunged over a cliff and crashed onto the rocky shoreline on the west side of Santa Cruz County after he briefly fled from police. California Highway Patrol officer Israel Murillo said the...

Freedom Rotary recognized for membership development

freedom rotary Trina coffman-gomez el vaquero
Freedom Rotary celebrated the Mike Kutsuris Award it recently received in recognition of the club that has been most successful in membership development during the Rotary year. They are in District 5170, a collection of 61 community clubs. The clubs are located in the...

Watsonville native runs for mayor of San Jose

matt mahan
SAN JOSE—Watsonville native Matt Mahan is on the ballot in San Jose and could become the mayor of Northern California’s largest city if voters select him in the two-way race. The mayoral candidate grew up on the outskirts of Watsonville in the 1980s and ’90s,...

PHOTOS: Pajaro Valley Chamber celebrates community

pajaro valley chamber of commerce annual awards dinner
With a theme of “Hometown USA,” the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture held its 61st annual Awards Dinner and Auction on Saturday at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. This year’s honorees were Woman of the Year Trina Coffman-Gomez, Man of the Year...

A life, preserved: In memory of famed local taxidermist Richard Gurnee

Watsonville native Richard Gurnee, who revolutionized the field of scientific taxidermy by pioneering a freeze-drying technique still employed worldwide, died in October after a brief illness. He was 87. Gurnee graduated from Watsonville High School in 1954, and then studied zoology at Humboldt State University. But...

Sergeant retires after nearly three decades with Watsonville Police

watsonville police sgt mike ridgway
A festive farewell lunch Dec. 21 set the tone for the final day of duty for Watsonville Police Sgt. Mike Ridgway as he set his sails toward retirement. As part of the departure, a 911 dispatcher delivered a statement over the police radio: “This is...

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...
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Affordable housing project back on track

Construction is set to resume on Haven Plaza, a 35-unit permanent supportive housing community at 2838 Park Ave. in Soquel after developers secured critical...

ICE becomes an autocratic tool