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Watsonville
December 25, 2025

Last-day rain dampens fair attendance

WATSONVILLE—This year’s Santa Cruz County Fair began with a bang, attracting thousands of people to the five-day bacchanalia of food, agriculture and art, and was on track to match last year’s blockbuster attendance. That changed on Sunday, when a rare late-summer rainstorm doused the region,...

Santa Cruz County Fair officials and volunteers focus on moving forward

Isabel Abuhadba Cartoon Poodles santa cruz county fair
Zeke Fraser has a lot on his desk, both figuratively and literally. He briefly stepped away from his paperwork-lined desk at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds late Wednesday morning for a quick chat about the upcoming fair, which opens on Wednesday. Vendors and performers were...

FBI joins Watsonville Police in jewelry theft investigation

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An ongoing investigation involving regional, federal and international authorities has led Watsonville Police Department detectives to identify two women suspected of stealing more than $100,000 from a local jewelry store. The mother-daughter duo, 53-year-old Onita Rostas and 30-year-old Steluta Lacatus, are wanted throughout the United...

Police arrest 8, seize 6 guns in sweep

Eight people were arrested last week and six guns were taken off the street during a multi-agency operation focused on cracking down on gang violence. More than two dozen officers from the Watsonville Police Department, Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, Santa Cruz Auto Theft Reduction...

Meals on Wheels given half-year eviction reprieve

SANTA CRUZ—Meals on Wheels of Santa Cruz County (MOW) has received a temporary reprieve, seven months after receiving an eviction notice from Live Oak School District. The organization has been operating out of the Live Oak Senior Center—which the school district owns—since 1977. While the eviction...

Q&A: Consuelo Alba on Dia de Muertos

consuelo alba
The community is invited to celebrate Day of the Dead / Día de Muertos in Watsonville Plaza Oct. 27 from 4-9pm. It is a free event, produced by Watsonville Film Festival, filled with tradition and activities for the whole family. Watch the movie “Coco”...

School arts funding bill among seven propositions on Nov. 8 ballot

In 2008, as the economic recession was ravaging communities nationwide, school districts were forced to take a close look at their budgets, and in many cases make massive cuts to preserve the meat of their programs. The first casualties of this across-the-board slashing were often...

Traditional dance performances arrive in Watsonville, Aptos

claudio naranjos vega
Students in the local dance class, Estrellas de Esperanza, taught by Ruby Vasquez, hosted an information session for the public Wednesday evening to learn about a Mexican holiday tradition called La Rama.  Maestro Claudio Naranjos Vega traveled from Vera Cruz, Mexico, to run the class...

Art Happenings: Open Studios tour applications; grant opportunity

Artists invited to apply for Open Studios tour Arts Council Santa Cruz County is inviting visual artists of all mediums to apply for the 2023 Open Studios Art Tour.  Every year more than 300 artists participate in this self-guided tour that runs over the first three...

Watsonville Airport director honored, city receives grant

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In late September, Watsonville Municipal Airport Director Rayvon Williams was named as this year’s Michael A. Shutt Award recipient. Then on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will distribute $83,575 to the airport for a zero-emissions vehicle and infrastructure...
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PV’s Lara-Alvarez named Santa Lucia’s top player | All-PCAL football

In 2024, Pajaro Valley senior Benito Lara-Alvarez was primarily on the defensive side of the ball for the Grizzlies. Prior to the start of this...

ICE becomes an autocratic tool