COVID-19

WATSONVILLE—Fruition Brewing owner David Purgason was making deliveries on Calabasas Road when he suddenly had an idea. As he drove by Whiskey Hill Farms, he remembered it was the site of Blume Distillation, a biofuel technology company that converts waste into alcohol-based fuel and other...

WATSONVILLE—Former Watsonville Fire Assistant Chief Gene Friend, a household name for many in the Pajaro Valley, died March 25 at Valley Convalescent in Watsonville.  Watsonville Fire Station 1 is emblazoned with his name in large letters as the namesake of the Chief Gene Friend Watsonville...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police Sgt. Donny Thul was on patrol recently when he got a harsh reminder of life under coronavirus restrictions. A call came over his radio that a group of young people was gathered at a park playing soccer. Just a few weeks ago, such a...

WATSONVILLE—Scores of restaurants around Watsonville have been hit hard by the outbreak of COVID-19. With shelter-in-place orders in effect, residents are asked to stay inside and limit their time near crowds. This includes going to sit-down restaurants, coffee shops, breweries and the like. As such,...

A single door was propped open, with a long table placed just inside of Santa Cruz Cider Company’s Apple City Tasting Room Monday afternoon.  A sign directed customers to the makeshift pickup window, which the owners have set up during the countywide shelter-in-place order. Natalie Henz,...

WATSONVILLE—Freedom Bakery owner Anna Liu said her new line of cookies was inspired by her children. Seeing her 9-, 12- and 15-year-olds dealing with school being closed due to the countywide shelter-in-place order is difficult, she said, and made her want to do something for...

Roughly 17 percent of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Santa Cruz County have been hospitalized, according to data released by Santa Cruz County officials on Wednesday. There were 54 confirmed cases in the county as of late Tuesday. Nine of those county...

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District is closing its schools for the remainder of the 2019-20 year, Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez announced Wednesday.  “Being a healthy community is key to thriving in it,” Rodriguez said. “Having students in the classroom is ideal and we miss seeing their...

WATSONVILLE—Brian Orozco prides himself in putting his clients at Functional Fitness Training Center through a vigorous workout that challenges them both physically and mentally. Weaving his way through the Employment Development Board’s system to file an unemployment claim put his strenuous workouts to shame. He tried...