Local News

PAJARO VALLEY—The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency Board of Directors on April 21 approved a rate increase that board member and local farmer Javier Zamora said will be a “very difficult pill to swallow.” PVWMA customers—consisting of residents living in the rural regions of South...

Kim De Serpa has held her seat on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees for more than a decade. In her full-time professional life she serves as social services manager for Salinas valley Memorial Healthcare System. Now, she says she is ready...

Adelaide Shugart, whose husband founded Monument Lumber in 1952, and whose family continues to keep the popular lumber yard doors open 72 years later, will chalk up her 100th birthday on Friday. Until recently she continued to drive to the company on Tuesdays, where she...

More than 6,000 people in the Watsonville area are without power due to an outage likely caused by the wind and rain storm that ravaged Santa Cruz County on Saturday. According to PG&E spokeswoman Angela Lombardi, heavy winds ranging from 40-70 miles per hour downed...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency announced that there are now 13 confirmed cases of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus. The announcement comes less than two weeks after Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel announced the county’s first case on March 7. The increasing...

A 58-year-old Watsonville man died Sunday in a solo-vehicle crash in the hills above Corralitos. Israel Murillo of the California Highway Patrol said the man, who has not been identified, was driving south on Eureka Canyon Road in a black 2003 GMC Yukon south of...

A man suspected of breaking into his family’s home and stealing a large amount of cash was arrested after a standoff Tuesday morning.

WATSONVILLE—The city of Watsonville hired Katie Nuñez in March of last year to supervise the Watsonville Senior Center. Her tasks then were to bring the community hub into the 21st century, and create a slew of programs for the area’s older adults. But just two...

A Santa Cruz man died Wednesday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash on the north coast. California Highway Patrol officer Israel Murillo said the man, who has not been named, was riding a 2013 Kawasaki motorcycle southbound on Highway 1, north of Dimeo Lane. The motorcyclist accelerated...

On Wednesday, some 500 freshmen stepped onto the Watsonville High School campus for their orientation, the beginning of a four-year journey that will present untold challenges and growth opportunities. They were met by the school's Link Crew. The team 120 upperclassmen will be there throughout...