Anzar Fire now contained after scorching 104 acres
AROMAS—A large wildland fire in Aromas that started on July 21 charred 104 acres and was 100% contained as of Thursday, Cal Fire spokesperson Cecile Juliette said.
At 3:21pm on July 21, two fires broke out behind Graniterock’s AR Wilson Quarry east of Aromas. Cal...
PVWMA board advances College Lake Project
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency (PVWMA) Board of Directors unanimously approved the College Lake Integrated Resources Management Project Environmental Impact Report (EIR) Addendum at its meeting on July 20.
As part of the action, the Board approved an updated version of the project that...
3 affordable housing projects move forward
WATSONVILLE—Earth-moving equipment is carving up three lots off of Freedom Boulevard to make way for more than 200 affordable housing units set to be completed by nonprofit developers over the next two years.
MidPen Housing is leading projects on Miles and Atkinson lanes that combined...
WPD releases body cam footage of controversial arrest
WATSONVILLE—Two days after Watsonville Police Department faced scrutiny for short videos posted to social media that showed one of its officers punching a man multiple times during an arrest on Tuesday, the department released the emergency dispatch calls and body-worn camera footage of the...
Video shows WPD officer punching man multiple times during arrest
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Police Department is facing criticism after a video was posted to social media showing one of its officers punching a man multiple times during an arrest on Tuesday night.
In a video posted to multiple social media platforms this week, two officers responding...
New candidates come forward for Nov. 8 election
WATSONVILLE—Five candidates have pulled papers to possibly run for Watsonville City Council in the upcoming Nov. 8 election, a key decision day that will see major turnover in South County leadership.
Current Watsonville Mayor Ari Parker is running for reelection in District 7, which encompasses...
Senator Laird speaks at Watsonville Rotary
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Rotary welcomed a special guest to its regular meeting Wednesday: John Laird, state senator for California’s District 17.
Laird, who was sworn in December 2020, was previously elected for the 27th District in 2002-06. He has served as California Secretary for Natural Resources, as...
New Watsonville city manager meets community
WATSONVILLE—Dozens of City of Watsonville employees, Watsonville residents, community organizers, elected leaders and nonprofit chiefs cycled through the Community Room at the Civic Plaza to welcome new city manager Rene Mendez on Wednesday evening.
Mendez, who took over as the city’s chief executive on July...
Watsonville Center for the Arts is the culmination of years of work
WATSONVILLE—A new arts and culture hub will soon open in downtown Watsonville, acting as a home base for a number of longstanding organizations, education programs and more.
Watsonville Center for the Arts, 375 Main St., is the culmination of decades of work by local groups...
Bag containing gun, ammo found at Aptos High
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies and Pajaro Valley Unified School District officials are investigating after a bag containing a firearm and ammunition was found...
