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Watsonville
February 18, 2026

College Lake water pipeline project moving forward

College Lake Pipeline Project
One mile of the College Lake Pipeline Project in Watsonville has now been completed, with five miles to go.  The project calls for six miles of 30-inch water main to transport treated water from a new College Lake facility on Holohan Road to more than...

Driscoll’s gets new CEO as Reiter steps down

Soren Bjorn
Driscoll’s berry company on Tuesday announced Soren Bjorn as the company’s new CEO.  Bjorn previously served as president of Driscoll’s of the Americas. He will assume the role in January and oversee the company’s global day-to-day operations, the company announced in a press release. J. Miles Reiter,...

Feds release preliminary results of plane crash investigation

watsonville municipal airport plane crash
WATSONVILLE—The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday released its preliminary results of its investigation into the crash last month at Watsonville Municipal Airport that killed three people. While not offering any fresh information, the report does give a detailed look at the crash, which occurred...

A blaze of glory: longtime fire reservist dies

John R. Walker Jr., a major fixture in Watsonville’s landscape of firefighting, parades and labor task force, died Jan. 27 of pancreatic cancer. He was 84. Walker  served as a Watsonville Reserve Firefighter for three decades, and left that post as Reserve Lt. Co. No....

Pajaro Middle School students could return for the 2024-25 year

pajaro middle school flood
When the Pajaro River Levee broke during heavy winter rains in March, floodwaters rushed into the town of Pajaro, displacing hundreds of residents and businesses. It also inundated Pajaro Middle School, forcing the school to close while work crews and district officials assessed the damage...

Santa Cruz County Fair efforts blooming

Santa Cruz County fairgrounds flower planting
Every year, as the fleeting summer days pass, staff and volunteers at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds prepare for the coming fair, which is at once a community celebration of the region’s agricultural bounty and an embrace of autumn. The first step in the Herculean...

Michelle Rodriguez leaving PVUSD

Michelle Rodriguez PVUSD
Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez will be leaving the school district, after taking the same position with Stockton Unified School District. Rodriguez made the announcement June 2. Her last day will be June 30. “To the remarkable Pajaro Valley community that has embraced...

Arte Del Corazón, PV Arts hosting Holiday Boutique at Porter Building

WATSONVILLE—Two local arts organizations are hosting a four-day Holiday Boutique this week at the historic Porter Building in downtown Watsonville. Arte Del Corazón (ADC), a group that has been staging open-air art shows, markets and events throughout Watsonville since 2019, is organizing the boutique with...

New officers welcomed at Watsonville Police

watsonville police department new officers
Watsonville Police Department formally welcomed five new officers at a promotional badge pinning and awards ceremony Wednesday. Close to 150 people packed the City Council Chambers for the two-hour event that drew top brass from Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey counties, the Santa Cruz...

New warehouse approved for Manabe-Ow property

manabe ow property
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the construction of a two-story industrial warehouse on the Manabe-Ow property that will allow an existing beer and restaurant supply company to move to a new location. Reyes Holdings, a national wholesaler, distributor and bottler  acquired Elixyr...
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LEVEE MONEY The Pajaro River meanders through a course of trees and brush near downtown Watsonville.

Padilla, Schiff secure $54M for Pajaro River Levee

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla announced Tuesday that he and Sen. Adam Schiff secured $54 million in federal funding for the Pajaro River Flood Risk...