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Watsonville
April 19, 2026

Trump’s offshore drilling plans slammed as ‘reckless’

In the past, visitors at Seacliff State Beach could gaze upon the S.S. Palo Alto, the famed Concrete Ship at the end of the equally famous wharf.  Relentless waves and occasional storms over time have destroyed the wharf, and the ship remains a local landmark...

See’s Candies opens pop-up store in Watsonville

The See’s Holiday gift center in Watsonville is located at the Watsonville Square Shopping Center at 1878 Main Street in Watsonville. It opened on Nov. 6 and will close on Dec. 24. Shoppers can find the company’s peanut brittle, milk, dark and white chocolates, pecan...

Five years a winner

Amesti Elementary School fifth-grader Kevin Bonita on Thursday took home more than a free 18-pound turkey when he won the school’s annual Turkey Trot race. He also has the distinction of being the first to win the race every year he attended the school. A young...

Supervisors delay decision on new battery storage facilities ordinance, add new regulations

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took the first step in crafting rules governing Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), giving their unanimous approval to a draft ordinance that aims to give a measure of local control to new facilities. The ordinance before...

Nonprofit aims to reduce & eliminate dangerous pesticides, impose buffer zone around schools

A state nonprofit that aims to reduce and eliminate the use of dangerous pesticides on agricultural fields in California plans to sue the agency tasked with regulating them. The announcement came Tuesday during a press conference convened in Watsonville by Californians for Pesticide Reform. Mark Weller,...

Community events

Mello Center Student Concerts  ArtSmart Mello Center Shows are designed for elementary students to experience world-class artists in a theater setting. Tickets are $2 per seat. The performances are presented by Tandy Beal & Company. A registration form is available at bit.ly/4i5kwvW. The next performance is April 16,...

An ocean view, pollution included

There was a lot of trash talk Sunday in Santa Cruz. Not gossip. Literal trash. In the ocean and deep into the food chain. Close to 400 people gathered at the Rio Theatre on Nov. 9 to hear some of the latest research on the health...

Residents demand more oversight of new BESS facilities

Almost a year after the largest lithium-ion battery storage facility in the world caught fire at Moss Landing, spewing toxic material and forcing the evacuation of 1,200 people, Santa Cruz residents gathered to warn against a proposal to build three more of the facilities...

A tale of two Rubys: Walks to school 65 years apart show societal progress

Sixty five years ago, 6-year-old Ruby Bridges—who is Black—walked to William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans at the onset of her first-grade year through a gauntlet of adults throwing food at her and screaming that she didn’t belong. On Friday, 10-year-old Bradley Elementary School...

PVUSD trustees mull more than 150 layoffs

In the middle of more than an hour of public comment Wednesday during the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting, Gabriel Barraza—a frequent critic of the district—gave a quote he said is well known in public administration. “Show me your budget, and...
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Man shot on Freedom Boulevard Friday night

A man was taken to a trauma center Friday night after he was shot in the head while driving along Freedom Boulevard. According to radio...

Steaming Artichokes