Local News

UPDATE, Aug. 19: Federal investigation into fatal plane collision underway ORIGINAL ARTICLE: WATSONVILLE—Two men, a woman and a dog died in a mid-air collision between two small private planes above Watsonville Municipal Airport Thursday just before 3pm. One witness, who went by the name Steve, said he...

The two men who were shot and killed Oct. 4 on the 700 block of Carlton Road on the outskirts of Watsonville have been identified as Jeremiah Rios Aguilera and Giovanni Aburto Lopez, both 21 and both of Watsonville. Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s detectives believe...

Lakeside Organic Gardens owner Dick Peixoto will receive the seventh annual Grower of the Year award at the Organic Grower Summit, which runs Dec. 4–5 in Monterey. Organizers said Peixoto leads the largest family-owned and operated solely organic vegetable operation in the United States and...

WATSONVILLE—For the past 33 years, the Toys for Tots program has delivered tons of toys to children in the Pajaro Valley and around the nation, for Christmas. This year is no exception, despite a host of limitations from the ongoing pandemic. On Nov. 12, the...

CENTRAL COAST—As the holiday season barrels ahead and gift-giving inches closer for some, the United States Post Service (USPS) has taken on extra help and expanded its hours.  In Watsonville, to brace for the uptick, postmaster Vicki Amarus said the post office has hired four...

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SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—In the first few weeks of the countywide shelter-in-place order, the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter (SCCAS) saw an unprecedented amount of adoptions.  About 126 dogs, cats and rabbits were adopted, including many animals who had been at the shelter for months. “People said...

Labor and labor-related issues continue to get center stage attention from the Reel Work May Day Film Festival as it moves into its 20th year. Thanks to a body of volunteers, the festival, already out of the gates in its 2021 season, is still...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved a resolution to censure embattled Trustee Georgia Acosta. Trustees Kim De Serpa, Maria Orozco, Jennifer Schacher and Jennifer Holm approved the censure. Acosta and Oscar Soto dissented. Trustee Daniel Dodge, Jr. abstained, saying that...