Local author releases third book in trilogy
WATSONVILLE—For the past eight years, Nikki Lewen has been writing and releasing a trilogy of novels—all the while being a full-time teacher and coach at Watsonville High School.
This year, all that hard work has paid off as Lewen celebrates not only the release of...
CDPH gives high school sports ‘blueprint’ to return to play
By Emanuel Lee, Hollister Free Lance Sports Editor
Calling it the “document we’ve been waiting for,” Central Coast Section Commissioner Dave Grissom said the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) recent release in regards to youth sports gives him and the other 10 section commissioners...
Panetta hoping to continue his mission
Editor’s note: this is the final installment of our pre-election coverage, as voters mull their mail-in ballot and make their decisions. A story on Rep. Jimmy Panetta’s Green Party opponent ran on Feb. 8. Republican challenger Jason Michael Anderson did not respond to a...
Big rig flips, closes Hwy. 152
A big rig carrying 40,000 pounds of printer paper toppled into a ravine on Highway 152 (Hecker Pass) just after 9am Monday. The California Highway Patrol said the male driver, who suffered only minor injuries, was traveling from LA to Watsonville for the PTS,...
County artist turns city street into colorful gallery
Santa Cruz County’s shelter-in-place order hasn’t put a lid on Santa Cruz artist Janas Durkee’s creative energy.
Recently the Pacific Coast Charter School art teacher took her skills out of her studio and onto the street, turning the sidewalk in front of her home into...
PVUSD leader named region’s Superintendent of Year
WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez has been named Superintendent of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region 10.
The region covers 42 school districts in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties.
“It is a pleasure and privilege to...
Hundreds attend annual MLK march
SANTA CRUZ—Hundreds of people filled the streets of downtown Santa Cruz Monday to participate in the third-annual Martin Luther King march, an event co-sponsored by the NAACP and the Santa Cruz Police Department.
“This is a business model of the Santa Cruz Police Department,” said...
Key environmental legislation passes assembly
CALIFORNIA—As California recovers from a historic heatwave, the State Assembly last week passed three bills by Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) to help fight the climate crisis, incentivize sustainable agriculture, and advance environmental justice for all.
“California has ambitious environmental goals, and the advancement of my...
Man killed in Watsonville shooting
A man was killed Friday morning when he was shot multiple times on the 800 block of McKenzie Avenue.
According to Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido, dispatchers received multiple 911 calls about gunshots being heard in the neighborhood at about 10am.
Officers responded and found a...
Letters to the Editor, April 24-30
Keeping our eye on the Clock
My father, an Air Force fighter pilot, and our family, were stationed in Yokohama Japan in 1947 as part...
