Watsonville Nature Center reopens to the public, readies for expansion
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Nature Center reopened to visitors last weekend for the first time since the pandemic, holding an open house on June 26 that included a special workshop on emergency wildfire preparedness.
Various local organizations and agencies were on hand at the event, including Regeneración...
Santa Cruz County sees first reported case of Delta variant
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Public Health Department announced Tuesday that a resident has tested positive for the Delta variant of Covid-19.
The patient is a man in his 50s who experienced mild symptoms. The sample was taken on June 10, county spokesman Jason...
Photos: PV Arts holds reception for ‘Pencas Del Corazón’
Pajaro Valley Arts had an opening reception for its “Pencas del Corazón” exhibit on Sunday at its gallery in Watsonville.
“Pencas del Corazón” (Heart of the Cactus) was curated by two of PVA’s Artists-in-Residence, Yesenia Molina and Irene Juarez O’Connell. The work centers around...
Pastor, community leader says farewell to Watsonville
WATSONVILLE—Last Thursday Rev. Robin Mathews-Johnson, who has served as pastor of the Watsonville First United Methodist Church since 1999, was given a fond farewell as she moved on to her new assignment at a church in Fresno.
The event, organized by her congregation and the...
FBI investigates Aptos man with ties to Giuliani
APTOS—The FBI on June 22 was at the Aptos home of a man with ties to New York attorney Rudy Giuliani for a “court-authorized law enforcement activity,” the FBI confirmed Monday.
An FBI spokesperson declined to comment further on the investigation into George Dickson III...
Community in focus: Art frames pop up throughout Watsonville, county
Six decorated wooden frames were installed around Watsonville Saturday in the city’s grand opening of “Outside the Frame,” an effort from the county’s four mayors, County Parks Friends and Santa Cruz County Parks. Watsonville Mayor Jimmy Dutra led a group of three dozen people...
California set to extend eviction protections
California renters teetering on the edge of homelessness may now be able to breathe a small sigh of relief as lawmakers move forward a last-minute deal extending eviction protections through Sept. 30.
“Even though our state has reopened, hundreds of thousands of Californians are grappling...
Three cars damaged in suspected hit-and-run crash
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville police are investigating a suspected hit-and-run crash on East Beach Street in front of Watsonville High School early Sunday morning.
WPD Cpl. Collin Travers said a 2019 Honda Accord was traveling eastbound on East Beach Street at 5:45am. For unknown reasons the driver of...
Two men shot in reportedly unrelated incidents near Watsonville
WATSONVILLE—Two men were shot five hours apart in reportedly unrelated incidents on the outskirts of Watsonville on June 23, and multiple suspects remain at large.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Ashley Keehn on June 24 said deputies are searching for 47-year-old Edgar Ayala, the...
Former WPD officer sworn in as San Benito Sheriff
SAN BENITO COUNTY—A Watsonville native was sworn in as the 16th sheriff for San Benito County Friday under mild, sunny conditions in the front courtyard of the Veterans Memorial Building.
Eric Taylor, a 1992 Watsonville High School graduate, accepted the position in the presence of...
Powerful storms clobber Central Coast
A string of strong winter storms slammed the Central Coast over the past several days, toppling power and communication lines, knocking down scores of...
