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Watsonville
January 25, 2026

County pledges $5 million for Watsonville hospital purchase

Watsonville Community Hospital
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County has committed $5 million to help a local group of healthcare professionals purchase Watsonville Community Hospital’s operations. The County’s Board of Supervisors passed the item without comment, since it was on the consent agenda. The Pajaro Valley Healthcare District Project (PVHDP)...

County’s Covid-19 death toll reaches 23

Watsonville coronavirus
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Twenty-three Santa Cruz County residents have now died from Covid-19 directly or with the disease as a contributing cause.  Santa Cruz County health officials shared with Good Times their latest information on the demographics for those who have died:  21 were 65 years of age or...

Watsonville Film Festival to be held at youth center

The Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) returns to present a lineup of screenings by award-winning directors and young local filmmakers, as well as live music and film talks by experts in the industry.

Fire damages St. Patrick’s Parish

st patrick's catholic parish church arson
WATSONVILLE—A fire that severely damaged St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish on Oct. 17 was arson, Watsonville Police Department confirmed Tuesday. Church officials say they have video footage of the arson occurring. It was not clear Tuesday afternoon if there is any suspect information. Pastor Jason Simas said in...

Watsonville man stabbed by parolee suspect

WATSONVILLE—A 37-year-old Watsonville man was stabbed in the neck early Monday morning and Watsonville Police were able to round up a suspect within minutes. Via social media, WPD said Aaron Ibarra, 26, who was recently released on parole, is now facing felony charges following the...

Downtown library to add rooftop cafe

For years, Watsonville Public Library’s Main Street location has drawn community members young and old to find their next great book, perform research or to simply sit and read in silence. And soon, people could have another reason to come. The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday...

Alleged plane thief faced professional trouble

The man who reportedly stole a plane from Watsonville Municipal Airport on June 26 and then crashed it into the ocean was a physician’s assistant who was on probation for prescribing a medication that was not medically necessary.

Work underway to strengthen levees and prepare for winter rains

pajaro river levee repair
Next year, work crews will kick off a $400 million project to rebuild the levees in South Santa Cruz and North Monterey counties and keep the rivers and creeks from escaping and devastating the surrounding communities. That long-anticipated work will be a relief to the...

Watsonville Police confiscate 16 guns in February

guns arrest watsonville police
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police seized 16 firearms from 12 different cases in February. “The list of guns seized by Watsonville Police officers keeps growing,” said Michelle Pulido, spokeswoman for WPD. “Most of these guns were used to commit some sort of crime in Watsonville and were in...

Hospice of Santa Cruz County announces strategic partnership

Hospice of Santa Cruz County, together with Mission Hospice & Home Care in San Mateo and The Elizabeth Hospice in San Diego, have announced the formation of the California Hospice Network
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Letters to the Editor, Jan. 23–29

Passenger rail price estimates too high One can never convince  me that restoring the Santa Cruz Branch rail line for passenger rail would cost an...

Alliances in turmoil

Boys To Men