Local News

A crew from Watsonville Public Works joins forces with a team from the Christmas Light Pros in dressing the Watsonville City Plaza with lights and other decorations in preparation for the annual Holiday Tree Lighting. A live 28-foot tree is the centerpiece of the...

It was a moment of sheer luck that historian and author Derek R. Whaley, while doing research for his own book, discovered the work of the late Ronald G. Powell.  Whaley owns local publishing company Zayante Publishing and is the author of the Santa Cruz...

SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz Police on Tuesday arrested a man who they say stole a bicycle from a 10-year-old girl as she rode home from school with her friends the day before. Jordan Howard, 33, listed as transient, was charged with robbery and false imprisonment. He...

Four decades ago, Janet Johns came to Watsonville as a new teacher, hoping to start a dance company with her former roommate from San Jose State, Frances Urbina.  It wasn’t long before Johns’ fellow teachers in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District expressed interest in...

The American Crown Circus, Circo Osorio, has set up at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds for a series of shows. From clowns and jugglers to acrobats and magicians, the variety show, designed for people of all ages, will run several times a day through...

Guests at the annual Evening of Wine & Roses, a benefit for the Community Health Trust of the Pajaro Valley, check out auction items Saturday at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. The three-hour event featured wine and beer tasting on top of finger foods...

Give your input on the design for Watsonville’s largest community park and recreational space at an upcoming meeting.  The city of Watsonville is working to design various elements of Ramsay Park, a project that has been underway since 2019. The city was awarded $7 million...

WATSONVILLE—With hundreds of miles behind them and thousands still ahead, bicyclists Claire and Will Stedden of Fort Bragg have been relying on a huge and free energy source to help fuel their journey—the sun. After grabbing lunch at Taqueria La Fuente in Watsonville Tuesday, they...

*Note: Erik Chalhoub contributed to this report Watsonville’s Veterans Day Celebration returns to downtown after last year’s in-person event was cancelled due to Covid-19. Veterans and others will begin gathering at 9:30am on Nov. 11 in the parking lot of St. Patrick’s Church, 721 Main St....

WATSONVILLE—The city of Watsonville has taken its biggest step yet in making a commitment to address climate change locally. On Oct. 26, the City Council unanimously approved the 2030 Climate Action & Adaptation Plan (CAAP), aiming to make policy changes in order to cut emissions,...