PHOTO: DUI suspect flips vehicle on East Lake Avenue
A Watsonville firefighter helps clean up the scene of a two-vehicle crash on East Lake Avenue at Blackburn Street Thursday night. Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said Margarito Martinez-Garcia, 19, was traveling westbound in a Honda Accord at 7:20pm when he plowed into the...
Pajaro Middle School students could return for the 2024-25 year
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 Supervisors approve ordinance banning force against kids
SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance that would prohibit companies forcibly transporting children. Also under the ordinance, families could sue transport companies that use force against their children for $10,000, plus legal costs.
The issue came to...
Watsonville’s urban growth limit extension leads countermeasure
More Watsonville voters have elected to extend the city’s urban growth boundaries for the next 18 years rather than head back to the drawing board and determine a new growth plan, according to initial election results released Tuesday night.
As of 8:16pm, 1,788 votes had...
Watsonville mosaic claims international award
Watsonville Brillante, the massive, 10-phase outdoor mosaic project in Watsonville, has just been named Best in Show in the Mosaic and Glass Arts International 2023 exhibition series in Buffalo, New York.
Lead artist Kathleen Crocetti of Watsonville learned of the prestigious announcement Wednesday.
“When I first...
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...
PHOTOS: Mexican culture and history on stage
These young women wear traditional garb from Oaxaca, Mexico as they prepare to dance at the Cinco de Mayo celebration in Watsonville Plaza Friday. Co-presented by the Farmers’ Market, Poesía en la Plaza and Ballet Folklorico Ollin, the event featured music, poets, dancers and...
CHP searching for new officers
The California Highway Patrol is not only searching for speeding motorists and expired registrations: They’re also on the lookout for new officers.
Israel Murillo Jr., public information officer with the Santa Cruz area CHP, was campaigning recently at the Santa Cruz County Fair with a...
New county park approved for Watsonville
The Watsonville area is set to get its first county park in decades.
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved the purchase of a 38.5-acre parcel on Whiting Road, an unused patch of low-lying woodland that sits between two agricultural fields,...
Driscoll’s gets new CEO as Reiter steps down
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,...
Calles Libres returns to Watsonville after a 7-year hiatus
The public is invited to the Calles Libres (Free Streets) community celebration on the streets of downtown for a car-free festival honoring Día de...























