Local News

WATSONVILLE—Roaring Camp Railroads has struck a deal with Progressive Rail to provide freight services for Watsonville businesses. Santa Cruz Big Trees and Pacific Railway, a subsidiary of Roaring Camp, announced the deal on April 30 in a press release. Roaring Camp CEO Melani Clark said the...

Surprised that federal health officials would this quickly recommend fully-vaccinated people can ditch their masks, Santa Cruz County health officials at a Thursday press conference said unvaccinated county residents will have to eventually walk a “tightrope” when deciding when it is safe to leave...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—When Sandra Nichols was elected to the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) Board of Trustees, the long-time educator—known for being well-prepared for meetings—says she made it a point to attend every one. In her time on the PVUSD board, which lasted from...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously approved a plan to give temporary space to a new charter school as it prepares to move into its own space by October. PVUSD Chief Business Officer Clint Rucker told the trustees that...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A new program aims to make electric vehicles accessible to drivers without breaking the bank. Tyler Port-Gaarn works as a teacher in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. He doesn’t drive far for work, but an electric vehicle always seemed too expensive and...

WATSONVILLE—On May 22 the Watsonville Buddhist Temple will virtually present Hiroshi Kashiwagi’s two-act play “The Betrayed.”  “The Betrayed” centers around a couple living at the Japanese-American concentration camp near Tule Lake, California in the 1940s. They become at odds when the controversial Loyalty Oath is...

WATSONVILLE—A group formed for the sole purpose of recalling Pajaro Valley Unified School District Trustee Georgia Acosta announced Wednesday that they have gathered the required signatures to officially begin the process. The group, called The Committee to Recall Georgia Acosta, made the announcement during the...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Over the past few weeks, monolith displays urging residents to get vaccinated against Covid-19 have popped up across Santa Cruz County. The installations were organized by Crush Covid, a local group of volunteers made up of retired women (many with backgrounds in health...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville police have arrested five gang members believed to be responsible for two separate violent attacks that left several people injured, WPD spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said. The first attack occurred on March 26 outside of a liquor store on the 1100 block of Freedom Boulevard....

WATSONVILLE—Dozens attended Tuesday night’s Watsonville City Council meeting to rebuke reported complaints lodged to the City Manager’s office about mobile food vendors. This included about a half-dozen food truck operators gathered on one device that took turns grilling the City Council and staff holding the...