Local News

WATSONVILLE—Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1716, which has served the local community of veterans since its inception in 1929, is facing closure after members failed to elect officers at a meeting in July. Member Paul Szemenciak says that, out of 116 members, just eight showed...

WATSONVILLE — Saul Ruiz never thought he would have to leave Watsonville. A 1999 Watsonville High School graduate, Ruiz was just settling into his “dream job” as his alma mater’s athletic director after taking over the position three years ago in 2013. He was also making...

Emergency officials deal with a solo-vehicle crash Friday on Carlton Road, east of Watsonville. The California Highway Patrol said the male driver of the Toyota Tundra was not injured when he lost control while traveling south on Carlton Road at Coward Road at about...

Agriculture, like most industries across the U.S., has faced numerous challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic this past year. From worker safety to supply chain shortages, everyone from large corporations to small family farms have felt the effects.  Which is why this year’s National Agriculture Day...

WATSONVILLE—A 20-year-old Salinas man died in a head-on crash on the Riverside Drive Highway 1 overcrossing in Watsonville on Nov. 20. Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Ashley Keehn identified the victim as Cesar Romero. Sam Courtney of the California Highway Patrol said Romero was driving...

PAJARO VALLEY—Long-standing realtor Renee Mello was recently named Realtor of the Year for 2021 by the Santa Cruz County Association of Realtors. A broker associate with Keller Williams, Mello, a third-generation Watsonville native, said she was stunned and “truly honored” to have been picked out...

Watsonville Police Detectives have arrested a man who filmed himself sexually assaulting at least two children.

WATSONVILLE—Starting an event centered around comics, art, fantasy and the collectibles that those realms inspire was something Francisco “Paco” Estrada had first dreamed up when he was elected into the Watsonville City Council in 2018. The idea was, Estrada says, to give kids—and adults—a safe...