Local News

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council at Tuesday night’s meeting voted to move the George Washington statue from the City Plaza to the Watsonville Public Library. The motion, put forth by councilwoman Rebecca Garcia, passed 5-2 with council members Ari Parker and Lowell Hurst dissenting. Parker and...

SANTA CRUZ—A woman was killed Wednesday afternoon when she was struck by a semi near the intersection of River and Water streets, the Santa Cruz Police Department announced. Witnesses said the woman was walking a dog around 3:15pm when she was struck. The driver stopped...

WATSONVILLE—When the home of the former Second Street Cafe in Watsonville became available last year, business partners Lacey Dent and Greg Bobeda saw an opportunity. The two had originally meant to expand their business, Corralitos Coffeehouse, into another space on the first floor of the...

WATSONVILLE—Despite the economic shutdowns resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, the city of Watsonville’s overall sales tax revenues have held steady thanks to a myriad of reasons, including a sharp rise in online and local shopping. That’s according to Administrative Services Director Cindy Czerwin who at...

Police from multiple agencies surround a home at Freedom Mobile Home Park in Watsonville Wednesday as they serve an arrest warrant for a suspect. Police called over a loudspeaker several times for a man to come out around 1pm. Special Agent Casey Rettig of...

Martha’s Kitchen, a 40-year-old organization based in San Jose, has now expanded its free food distribution program to the Pajaro Valley. The nonprofit began in 1981 when Louise Benson, dubbed “The Mother Teresa of San Jose,” began making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to give...

LAS LOMAS—The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 54-year-old Las Lomas man for allegedly soliciting sex from two young boys in north Monterey County. Two boys, ages 7 and 11, said that a man who called himself Rene had asked them to perform oral...

WATSONVILLE—How can art be exhibited in the time of Covid-19? Ask Watsonville artist Monica Galvan. Take it outdoors is her simple reply.  That’s part of the mission of Arte del Corazón, a Watsonville-based organization that has been staging open-air art shows around the city to...

WATSONVILLE—The County of Santa Cruz recently announced the opening of a new mass vaccination center in downtown Watsonville, and officially welcomed residents 65 years and older to sign up for their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. The new OptumServe site, located at the old...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council is at last expected to make a decision on the future of the George Washington statue that currently inhabits the City Plaza. A hot-button issue since the death of George Floyd in May 2020 sparked national social unrest, the fight over...