Local News

Early returns late Tuesday night show Jimmy Dutra ahead of his two opponents, with 47% of the vote, while Felipe Hernandez trails with 34% in the race for the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors District 4 seat. Ed Acosta, meanwhile, is in third with...

WATSONVILLE—Through bustling cities, along coastal roads and past vast agricultural fields, thousands of bicyclists are riding from San Francisco to Los Angeles, an annual 545-mile ride started in 1994 to raise money for HIV/AIDS prevention  and care programs. It is the world’s largest annual HIV/AIDS...

WATSONVILLE—Kaiser Permanente has awarded a $100,000 grant to Watsonville-based organization Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services. The grant aims to provide bilingual and bicultural grief support to families in Monterey County who are coping with the loss of a child or struggling with a child...

WATSONVILLE—A four-and-a-half-hour standoff between police and a man that was possibly armed with guns ended peacefully Tuesday afternoon on Kilburn Street. According to Watsonville Police spokesperson Michelle Pulido, officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Kilburn Street for a report of a man yelling...

Both Watsonville High seniors, Angel Lopez and Lucia Umeki-Martinez, said they prospered greatly from their teachers during their four years at WHS. “All of them (teachers) had their own personalities and their own way of teaching and I feel I came out ahead because of...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Brillante, an ongoing mosaic mural project in downtown Watsonville, has officially reached its halfway point. Organizer and artist Kathleen Crocetti says that volunteers recently finished the six thousandth of 12,000 square feet of mosaic. In celebration, Crocetti’s organization, Community Arts & Empowerment, will be...

Adriana Reyes was 15 years old and alone when she moved from Oaxaca, Mexico to Watsonville and enrolled at Pajaro Valley High School (PVHS). Then, she only spoke Mixtec, an indigenous language from Mexico, and barely knew Spanish—let alone English. Reyes moved in with her...

Aiden Niklaus attended Tierra Pacifica through middle school, graduating with a class of 18. He says it was therefore a substantial culture shock coming to Aptos High School, where his class alone boasts nearly 300 students and the sprawling campus seemed tantamount to a bustling...

WATSONVILLE—Work continues on a new business complex on the 900 block of Main Street at Auto Center Drive in Watsonville. Santa Cruz Seaside Company spokesperson Kris Reyes said the three-building project includes two restaurants, Chipotle Mexican Grill and The Habit Burger Grill. Reyes has also...

WATSONVILLE—After two summers of canceled, postponed and altered activities, the City of Watsonville will be bringing back its seasonal offerings in full force this year. From annual events such as the Watsonville Strawberry Festival and the Spirit of Watsonville Fourth of July Parade, to new...