Local News

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council at a special meeting Friday evening passed a resolution expressing support for the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s (RTC) business plan for construction and operation of a passenger rail line along the 32-mile stretch from Davenport to Pajaro. The resolution...

The work at the Watsonville High School athletic field calls for an upgrade of the drainage system and replacement of the field surface. School officials are hoping for completion before graduation in early June.

WATSONVILLE—The winds that normally blow into the Watsonville High School softball field are typically known for knocking down deep fly balls destined to become home runs. Blocked by an invisible “Green Monster” of Fenway Park, so to speak. But the Swingin’ Wildcatz have found a...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County health officials’ prediction that residents would be frustrated over not being able to find a Covid-19 vaccine after the state expanded its eligibility to most Californians earlier this month has not come true. Instead, the demand for the inoculation has...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously approved a plan to ease graduation requirements for high school students whose academic record has been damaged by the distance-learning requirements of Covid-19 restrictions. Under the plan, students at risk of failing a...

WATSONVILLE—If everything goes right, Independence Day will feature the first citywide in-person celebration in Watsonville since the start of the pandemic. That’s according to Watsonville Parks and Community Service Department Director Nick Calubaquib, who says that the city is planning to hold a “static” parade...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Covid-19 pandemic has had a disparate impact on communities nationwide, with Latinx and Black communities experiencing greater impacts than white ones. That is according to a report heard Tuesday by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. The report, presented by Health Services...

SANTA CRUZ—William T. Doyle, a Watsonville High School graduate who founded the Institute of Marine Sciences at UC Santa Cruz—in addition to Long Marine Laboratory—and was professor emeritus of biology at the university, died April 21 at his home in Santa Cruz. He was...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council at the tail end of its Tuesday night meeting approved plans to reconvene today to discuss a resolution in support of the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s (RTC) business plan for construction and operation of a passenger rail line...

WATSONVILLE—Couch Distributing Company, Inc. announced to its employees Tuesday that after nearly a half-century of service it is selling its distribution business to Fresno-based Donaghy Sales, LLC. Established in 1973 Couch Distributing Company has been the leading beer and beverage distributor in Santa Cruz, Monterey...