Local News

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville police have arrested three men suspected of participating in a carjacking on Oct. 30. Manuel Hernandez, 18, Joel Vasquez, 29, and Raul Leal, 23, face several felony charges. They were booked into Santa Cruz County Jail. Hernandez is being held in lieu of $200,000...

Editor’s note: This is the first entry in a monthly series about the history scattered throughout downtown Watsonville and the city at large. For the past several months I’ve been getting around town, mostly by bus and on foot. Besides being a giant change in...

WATSONVILLE—More than 100 people gathered in front of the newly rebuilt McDonald’s restaurant on Freedom Boulevard Tuesday for a grand reopening celebration. The business, located at 1598 Freedom Blvd., replaces the one originally built in 1974, which had remained at the same location until demolition...

WATSONVILLE—If all goes according to plan, Watsonville’s Ramsay Park over the next five years will become the “community space that it really needs to be,” says city of Watsonville Administrative Services Director Cindy Czerwin. The City plans to pump roughly $22 million in local, state...

WATSONVILLE—Jesus Montejano is eager to put his skills to use for the community he calls home. After recently graduating with honors from Cabrillo College’s business program, Montejano has set his sights on transforming a restaurant located next to the iconic Five Mile House on the...

WATSONVILLE—A 26-year-old Santa Cruz County man died Saturday after he was mauled by a great white shark near Manresa State Beach.  The victim has been identified as Ben Kelly, a prominent surfboard maker and a well-known figure in the surfing community. According to California State Parks...

It’ll be a few years before fans will see any action from the Cabrillo College football team.  The community college’s Board of Trustees held a special virtual meeting Tuesday evening and came to a unanimous decision to suspend football operations for at least two years. Cabrillo...

WATSONVILLE—Local author Jaime Cortez always had nicknames, and now one of them has become his first book. “Gordo,” a paperback collection of stories, is quickly gathering praise after its release by a national publisher in August. And while “Gordo” is Cortez’s first widely distributed work,...

WATSONVILLE—Several new businesses are in the works around Watsonville, all forging ahead despite the looming cloud of the pandemic. A new drive-thru Starbucks in Watsonville Square, a Mexican food restaurant in the historic Mansion House, a panaderia (bakery) on East Fifth Street and a taqueria...

SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested two men suspected of killing a fellow inmate in a cell at Santa Cruz Main Jail designated for active gang members. Mario Lozano, 33, of Santa Cruz and Jason Cortez, 25, of Watsonville, face murder charges for...