PVUSD eliminates School Resource Officer program
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday voted to permanently end its School Resource Officer program at Watsonville, Pajaro Valley and Aptos high schools, and to redirect the funds to socio-emotional counselors.
The district will also look into creating wellness centers...
Charter schools reap millions from public payroll program
WATSONVILLE—Two Watsonville area charter schools received funds through the federal Payroll Protection Program (PPP), the $660 billion initiative created to use taxpayer dollars to help keep small business and nonprofit organizations afloat.
Watsonville Prep School, which received more than $1.7 million, and Ceiba College Preparatory...
Police seek hit-and-run driver
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Police Department is asking for help from the community in finding a driver who fled after running over a man on Saturday night.
According to WPD spokeswoman Michelle Pulido, the 59-year-old victim was hit at 9:16pm on East Lake Avenue between Lincoln and...
UC system admits record number of Latinx students
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville High School graduate Kayla Cabrera will be attending virtual classes at UC Berkeley when the fall semester begins on Oct. 1, where she will double major in legal and ethnic studies for a pre-law track.
Inspired by social justice issues she encountered while growing...
Washington bust under microscope as city asks for community input on monument
WATSONVILLE—The national debate over monuments of historic figures in public places has reached Watsonville.
A group of local activists has gathered more than 1,100 virtual signatures in support of removing the George Washington bust in the City Plaza. But not all Watsonville residents want the bust removed.
On...
Watsonville police seize $80K in heroin, illegal weapon
WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville man was arrested Tuesday after police found a kilo of heroin worth at least $80,000 and an assault rifle while executing a search warrant.
Gerardo R. Valencia, 29, was arrested on suspicion of possessing narcotics for sale and an illegal weapon, jail records...
Cabrillo College mulling name change
APTOS—In the not-too-distant future, Cabrillo College could bear a different name.
Before that happens, however, a subcommittee of three of the college’s governing board will explore the issue in-depth, for a process that is likely to last far into the future and involve numerous people...
Late-night blaze razes World War II-era building near Watsonville
LA SELVA BEACH—Fire ripped through an historic building on the Monterey Bay Academy campus Saturday night.
By Sunday morning all that remained of the former auditorium on the coastal outskirts of Watsonville were a few remnants of framework that protruded through a bed of ash.
Firefighters...
Suspect arrested after running from officers during car stop
Editor's note: This story has been updated from a previous version.
Four people were taken into custody Tuesday following a high risk car stop where one teen ran from police.
Around 1 pm Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies received reports of shots fired on Eureka Canyon...
Second Harvest food distributions to run through August
SANTA CRUZ—Second Harvest Food Bank hosted a drive-thru community food distribution Friday at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
Supported by numerous volunteers and members of the California National Guard, the distribution unfolded under overcast skies as part of ongoing county-wide distributions that alternate between the...
Man arrested in Capitola assault
A Capitola man was arrested after he allegedly assaulted two people with a metal pipe on Sept. 18.
Antwain Tiliman, 55, was charged with attempted...
