Local News

Santa Cruz County is moving to the red tier of the state’s Covid-19 reopening plan starting Wednesday, as predicted last week.  That means several indoor business operations can reopen starting Wednesday, including indoor dining, aquariums, museums, dance studios, gyms and movie theaters, all of which have...

WATSONVILLE—Following the tremendous success of the first-ever Holiday Lights Drive-thru at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds during Christmas, the 2021 Drive-Thru Crab Feed proved to be another booming hit Saturday. Fairgrounds Foundation spokesman Ron Haedicke said they sold out all 472 meals in the inaugural...

WATSONVILLE—No communities in Santa Cruz County qualify for the California Department of Public Health’s vaccine equity plan, which Gov. Gavin Newsom last week pitched as a way for the state to prioritize disadvantaged and Latinx communities that have seen a disproportionate impact from the...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday issued long-awaited guidance to Americans fully vaccinated against Covid-19, freeing them to take some liberties that the unvaccinated should not, including gathering indoors with others who are fully vaccinated without precautions while still adhering to...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council at its Tuesday meeting will weigh whether to overhaul its tax rates on cannabis businesses, a move a consultant and city staff say would make the city more competitive with neighboring jurisdictions. The proposed changes would cut taxes on retail cannabis...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council at its March 9 meeting will see the results of a recently conducted rate study that recommends the city increase the cost of its utilities over the next five years. The study, conducted by Raftelis Financial Inc., says the hikes are...

Watsonville police detain a man Saturday on West Beach Street near the City Plaza on suspicion of armed robbery. WPD Sgt. Mike Ridgway said the suspect tried to rob several businesses at knifepoint on the 500 block of Main Street around 11:30am, however, he...

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday will discuss whether former board president Georgia Acosta had the authority to use an attorney to advise the board, after she and three other members abruptly fired Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Outdoor amusement parks in California counties in the red tier of the state’s Covid-19 reopening plan will be allowed to welcome back customers next month, the California Department of Public Health announced Friday afternoon. Live outdoor sporting events and performances will, too, be...

(Pajaronian reporter Tarmo Hannula contributed to this story. — Editor) WATSONVILLE—Bill Neighbors, whose proclivity to help and to improve his community extended into nearly every aspect of Watsonville civic life—and whose lifelong career of volunteerism led him to be dubbed “Mr. Watsonville” by those who...