Pajaro levee project begins long-awaited design phase
WATSONVILLE—Federal, state and local officials gathered at Atri Park in Watsonville Monday at a public ceremony to sign a design agreement for the Pajaro River Flood Management Project.
The long-awaited $400 million effort is designed to reduce flood risk for the “disadvantaged” communities of Pajaro...
Watsonville appoints new homegrown library director
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville City Manager Matt Huffaker announced last week that he appointed Alicia Martinez as the new director of the Watsonville Public Library. She succeeds longtime director Carol Heitzig, who retired in July 2020.
Martinez worked her way up the ranks at the library. She started...
METRO board extends CEO’s contract as unions call for his dismissal
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) Board of Directors at its May 21 virtual meeting unanimously approved a contract extension with CEO and General Manager Alex Clifford that will keep him at the head of the transportation agency through May 6,...
Anti-vaccine protestors crash Watsonville school clinic
WATSONVILLE—In the days after California began to offer Covid-19 vaccines for children 12 and older, thousands across the state lined up for their turn.
In Santa Cruz County, a total of 1,200 young people got their vaccines at Scotts Valley High School, Dominican Hospital’s Employee...
Hampton Inn opens in Watsonville
WATSONVILLE—A project seven years in the making, the 112-room Hampton Inn & Suites opened its doors Monday morning on Lee Road in Watsonville.
The four-story hotel flanks a new Starbucks coffee house and a newly opened Arco gas station and AM/PM mini market, all under...
Aptos woman pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter
SANTA CRUZ—An Aptos woman who stabbed her husband to death during a domestic fight in 2019 pleaded guilty in Santa Cruz County Superior Court on May 18 to involuntary manslaughter.
Amanda Owens also admitted to using a deadly weapon during the crime.
She is set to...
More than 1,000 pounds of illegal fireworks seized
WATSONVILLE—Members of Santa Cruz County’s Auto Theft Reductions Enforcement (SCARE) Task Force seized 1,120 pounds of illegal fireworks recently.
The Sheriff’s Office said an investigation led to the arrest of 30-year-old Edgar Narez on Green Valley Road for possession of illegal aerial fireworks.
“With the extreme...
Photos: PVUSD offices, schools raise Progress Flag
Pajaro Valley Unified School District students and other young people raised the Progress Flag Friday during a ceremony at the district’s headquarters in Watsonville.
The event—attended by roughly 60 people, including PVUSD Board President Jennifer Holm and Vice-President Jennifer Schacher—was one of several flag-raising...
El Pájaro CDC partners with Staff of Life
El Pájaro Community Development Corporation (El Pájaro CDC) has entered into a partnership with Staff of Life, a natural foods market that recently opened its new store in the East Lake Shopping Center.
El Pájaro CDC, which aims to support small business entrepreneurs by...
Pedestrian, bike installation planned for Green Valley
Aiming to improve safety and encourage alternative transportation, the County of Santa Cruz is installing a temporary protected bike and pedestrian path on Green Valley Road between Amesti Road and Pinto Lake City Park in Watsonville.
The project will allow residents to test recommendations...
How Farmworkers Outlawed ‘El Cortito’ 50 Years Ago
For decades in the Salinas Valley, the short-handle hoe, known as “El Cortito,” was used for weeding and thinning rows of crops that kept...
