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Watsonville
March 12, 2026

Honoring the dead at PV Arts

The annual Mi Casa es Tu Casa exhibit opened Thursday at Pajaro Valley Arts on Sudden Street.  The show explores the connection between the living and those who have passed. Typically, altars (ofrendas) are built in homes and public spaces to honor and remember the...

Spicing up his life: Former tech engineer launches new food venture

mala's spcies
APTOS—As a young man, Bapcha Murty moved from his native Chennai, India to attend UC Los Angeles and become an engineer. He went on to a career in the Silicon Valley tech industry that spanned more than two decades in several companies. But when Murty...

Restoration of iconic Watsonville High mural begins

watsonville high mural yermo aranda
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville High School community last year was shaken when a beloved three-decades old mural on the wall of the school’s cafeteria was painted over during a construction project. The move, directed by site administration and the district facilities department, outraged the artists involved in...

County supervisors signal support for MHCAN, other ‘safety net’ services

The Santa Cruz County Supervisors on Tuesday signaled their support for three human-services programs at risk of being cut when the board meets June 10 to hammer out this year’s budget. Under the current budget proposal, Mental Health Client Action Network (MHCAN) loses its $587,000...

Daniel Castillo shines at SCCAL boys championship | Track and field

SANTA CRUZ—Monte Vista Christian senior Daniel Castillo was lights out in four events at the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League track and field championships, including a win in the 110-meter hurdles in 17.50 seconds.  His performance at Harbor High on April 24 was good enough...

Family searches for answers after 18-year-old farmworker is gunned down

watsonville shooting
WATSONVILLE—About 15 people sat quietly in rows of chairs facing an altar of votive candles, flowers, photographs and memorabilia in a carport near downtown Watsonville on Sunday. Just hours prior, an 18-year-old man who, family says, had moved to the U.S. from Oaxaca, Mexico a...

PHOTO: In memory

Elvia Cabrera sings a tune Monday at Pinto Lake City Park at a memorial for Tom Gugale, 47, who died in a car crash recently.

Run raises funds to support local children

Walkers and runners of all ages and levels of athletic ability are invited to join Team Coco, runners and walkers who train and fundraise to support the Live Like Coco foundation, to participate in a Spring Fun Run.

Grant to help move homeless from Pajaro River encampments

homeless encampment pajaro river levee
Homeless services advocates from Monterey and Santa Cruz counties are considering placing a small community of modular tiny homes in a church parking lot in Watsonville, aimed at reducing the number of people camped out along the Pajaro River. The project comes thanks to an...

Councilman Estrada says he won’t seek reelection

Francisco Estrada Watsonville
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville City Councilman Francisco “Paco” Estrada during Thursday night’s special meeting announced that he will not seek reelection this fall. Estrada, the representative for the 4th District, was elected into office in 2018 and served as mayor in his first year on the city council....
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Aptos wins first-ever CCS championship in school history | Boys soccer

The Aptos High boys’ soccer team went on an unprecedented postseason run during the 2025-26 winter season. It began with bringing home the program’s first-ever...