Local News

WATSONVILLE—A man has filed a civil lawsuit in Santa Cruz County Superior Court, claiming that 4th District Supervisorial candidate Jimmy Dutra molested him when he was 12. A case management conference is scheduled for Feb. 3. The Pajaronian typically does not name victims in stories involving...

Varios incendios están ardiendo en la Costa Central, forzando evacuaciones masivas en los condados de Santa Cruz, San Mateo y Monterey. ¿Dónde están? Hay tres grandes incendios en nuestra región: el CZU August Lightning Complex, el River Fire y el Carmel Fire. CZU August Lightning Complex Estos incendios...

Fifty years after it left downtown Watsonville, the Pajaronian is back.

PLEASURE POINT—The man found dead late Tuesday morning in a vehicle in the Santa Cruz Mountains has been identified as Tushar Atre, who was kidnapped from his Pleasure Point home about seven hours earlier. Atre, 50, was taken from his upscale oceanfront home about 3...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday voted to permanently end its School Resource Officer program at Watsonville, Pajaro Valley and Aptos high schools, and to redirect the funds to socio-emotional counselors. The district will also look into creating wellness centers...

WATSONVILLE—A man was seriously injured late Saturday night after he crashed his vehicle on Beach Road and was hurled into an agriculture field. The bizarre chain of events started around 10:30pm when the man, who has not been named, was involved in a hit-and-run crash...

WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville man died Thursday night after he was shot while driving a car on South Green Valley Road. Michelle Pulido, spokeswoman for the Watsonville Police Department, said a preliminary investigation indicates the victim was driving west on South Green Valley toward Main Street between...

CORRALITOS — The man and woman that died in a solo-vehicle crash Saturday in Corralitos have been identified as Kristofer Capurro, 64, and Oxziana Rosales, 23. Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Ashley Keehn said they were both from Watsonville. California Highway Patrol officer Julieta...

APTOS—Pajaro Valley Unified School District announced Wednesday it is closing Rio Del Mar Elementary School for two days after a person there tested positive for coronavirus. District officials are not saying what the person’s relationship to the school is. They were last at the school...

Nearly five years after Michael Escobar allegedly gunned down a man at a Watsonville hotel — and struck and killed a 4-year-old girl sitting inside a nearby restaurant — prosecutors are preparing for his jury trial.