Local News

Artist Bruce Harman continues work on a new mural in Watsonville Plaza on the exterior of the new self-cleaning pair of restrooms. The artwork includes depictions of graduates, St. Patrick's Church, the Tuttle Mansion, folklorico dancers, Mexican folk art and more. City officials are...

When local conservation pioneer and philanthropist Diane Porter Cooley died last March, members of Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) knew they wanted to pay tribute to her in some way. Cooley was a founding board member of PVA and instrumental in its success over the years....

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz Police on Tuesday arrested a Watsonville man after he allegedly traveled to the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf to meet who he thought was an underage girl for sex. Valentin Rodriguez, 62, was charged with meeting a minor for lewd purposes. He...

Hundreds of people, toting festive balloons and armloads of flowers, showed up for the commencement ceremony for Renaissance High School on June 2.  Led into the Mello Center by their principal, Deanna Young, the line of 61 seniors filled up the first three rows...

WATSONVILLE—After decades of efforts by local, state and federal officials, plans to rebuild the Pajaro River Levee can now move forward after voters in Watsonville approved an assessment on their annual property tax bills that will pay for the maintenance and operations costs. The Pajaro...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Measure D–which was hailed by many as a way to get Santa Cruz County residents out of their vehicles, off the roads and onto a bike-pedestrian path that replaced the rail line–was dealt a crushing blow Tuesday when it went down in...

A dance group, Ohtori Kinsen-Kai, prepare to perform a traditional dance from Okinawa Saturday at the 33rd annual Japanese Cultural Fair in Santa Cruz. The free event showcased live music, dance, martial arts, crafts, food and more.

Taking advantage of the sprawling athletic field of Landmark Elementary School that adjoins the tiny campus of New School, 25 graduates filed onto the lawn on the first day of June to fetch their high school diplomas. “It’s a good feeling, to realize all the...

June is Pride Month, a time dedicated to honoring and achieving equal justice and opportunity for LGBTQ+ Americans. It is an observance of the Stonewall riots in 1969, but also a celebration, with cities across the country hosting marches, parades and other events. Santa Cruz...