Local News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Beginning July 1, anyone purchasing a beverage in the unincorporated parts of Santa Cruz County—and who didn’t bring their own reusable cup—will notice a 25-cent fee tacked onto the price. That is due to the county’s new disposable cup fee, which was created...

When Watsonville Mayor Maria Orozco was a student at Freedom Elementary School, she remembers running around the playing field, pock-marked as it was by holes and other signs of age and wear. “I remember dreading it, because when we were done, my knees used to...

When Vanessa Quiroz-Carter and Maria Orozco were sworn in late last year as Watsonville’s Mayor and Vice-Mayor, it was only the second time in the city’s history two women have held the roles. The first was in 2019, when Rebecca Garcia and Trina Coffman-Gomez sat...

CENTRAL COAST—A 3.3 magnitude earthquake rumbled through the Central Coast early Friday, shaking some from their sleep. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the temblor struck at 3:35am roughly 2.5 miles north-northwest of Aromas and about 7 miles east of Watsonville. The USGS said there were...

Brianna Vasquez is a 13-year-old about to begin her 8th-grade year at Rolling Hills Middle School. As the days of her summer vacation wane and the academic year looms, many of her friends are enjoying their break. But on Thursday, Brianna was taking a different path....

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council appointed Rene Mendez, the current chief executive for the city of Gonzales, as Watsonville’s new city manager during its Tuesday meeting.  Mendez has three decades of experience in state, county and city government and has spent the last 17 years as...

A Watsonville man arrested Thursday is suspected of more than 10 armed robberies that occurred in the downtown area, Watsonville Police Det. Rudy Lopez announced.

Terry Medina leads the live auction during Watsonville Rotary Club's International Night at the Portuguese Hall on Wednesday.

Described as the largest, and only, festival in Aromas, the annual Aromas Day returns Sunday.

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among women in the United States, and the second leading cause of cancer-related death. Breast cancer occurs when cells in breast tissue change and divide, resulting in a lump or mass....