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Watsonville
December 20, 2025

Catz retain the Belgard Kup | HS football

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville High senior Josh Rocha stood on the sidelines with 40 seconds left in the game, watching every second tick away until the scoreboard read all zeros.  “I was just soaking it in, this is my last time I’m ever going to put on this...

PV Arts reopens gallery, welcomes new executive director

Pajaro Valley Arts watsonville gallery
WATSONVILLE—After a year of being shuttered, Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) has once again fully opened its gallery to the public. On April 9, the organization welcomed the public back with the start of its annual fundraising exhibit, “Take Aways: Art to Go!” Now in its...

Freedom Boulevard facelift scheduled for next fiscal year

WATSONVILLE—The city of Watsonville this coming fiscal year will use nearly $5 million in Measure D and Senate Bill 1 funds to move forward on several road improvement projects within city limits. The list of projects, approved 6-0 by the City Council Tuesday, includes a...

End of an era: Yamashita Market closing its doors this summer

yamashita to close watsonville
WATSONVILLE—After more than seven decades in business, Yamashita Market—Santa Cruz County’s only store dedicated to Asian cooking supplies—is set to close its doors for good, likely sometime in July. The store’s owner Goro Yamashita says that business was steadily declining even before Covid-19 forced businesses...

Mobile crisis center helps South County’s young people

South County Mobile Emergency Response Team for Youth Watsonville
WATSONVILLE—Young people in South County suffering from mental health crises now have the option of a response that does not have to involve hospitalization. The South County Mobile Emergency Response Team for Youth (MERTY) was created to provide community and field-based crisis intervention services to...

Sheriff’s Office seeks info on Hwy 129 crash

crash Highway 129 watsonville
WATSONVILLE—The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help from the public in gaining information about a vehicle crash early Tuesday on the outskirts of Watsonville. Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Ashley Keehn in a Facebook post said that sometime between 4-6am there was a solo-vehicle...

New businesses flock to Watsonville

drive-thru Starbucks Watsonville new business
WATSONVILLE—Several new businesses are in the works around Watsonville, all forging ahead despite the looming cloud of the pandemic. A new drive-thru Starbucks in Watsonville Square, a Mexican food restaurant in the historic Mansion House, a panaderia (bakery) on East Fifth Street and a taqueria...

Maddy Middleton’s killer pleads guilty, could be released at 25

a.j. gonzalez Maddy Middleton
SANTA CRUZ—The man who was 15 when he kidnapped, raped and murdered 8-year-old Madyson “Maddy” Middleton in 2015 pleaded guilty to the charges on Tuesday, setting the stage for a sentencing that could see him released by the time he is 25. That is because...

Local bands perform virtual show in San Francisco

On April 3, two local bands were invited to perform at a special live streamed concert at The Complex, a recording and production space in the heart of San Francisco. Bayview, a three-piece rock group made up of school friends Adam Renteria, Keith Rayburn and...

Watsonville man injured in honey oil lab explosion

butane honey oil lab explosion
PRUNEDALE—A 35-year-old Watsonville man was injured in a butane honey oil lab explosion in Prunedale Monday. Francisco Ponce was in the area when Monterey County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at the 16000 block of Meridian Road around 3pm to investigate a report of an explosion. Ponce...
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PVUSD Trustees to revisit teacher layoff vote

A little more than one week after voting to eliminate roughly 80 teacher positions, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees will...

Mixing Bowl: Sweet Pralines

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