Local News

WATSONVILLE—Scores of restaurants around Watsonville have been hit hard by the outbreak of COVID-19. With shelter-in-place orders in effect, residents are asked to stay inside and limit their time near crowds. This includes going to sit-down restaurants, coffee shops, breweries and the like. As such,...

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A single door was propped open, with a long table placed just inside of Santa Cruz Cider Company’s Apple City Tasting Room Monday afternoon.  A sign directed customers to the makeshift pickup window, which the owners have set up during the countywide shelter-in-place order. Natalie Henz,...

WATSONVILLE—Freedom Bakery owner Anna Liu said her new line of cookies was inspired by her children. Seeing her 9-, 12- and 15-year-olds dealing with school being closed due to the countywide shelter-in-place order is difficult, she said, and made her want to do something for...

Roughly 17 percent of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Santa Cruz County have been hospitalized, according to data released by Santa Cruz County officials on Wednesday. There were 54 confirmed cases in the county as of late Tuesday. Nine of those county...

SCOTTS VALLEY—A 55-year-old Santa Cruz woman was found dead Tuesday inside a home on the 800 block of Graham Hill Road, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Ashley Kheen said.  Detectives are investigating the incident as a homicide and are searching for the suspect(s). At 11:30 a.m. deputies responded to...

Today is April Fool’s Day and yes, living up to the adage: April showers bring May flowers; there are showers in the forecast. First, however, are a string of warm, sunny days predicted by meteorologists at the National Weather Service of Monterey. Showers could...

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District is closing its schools for the remainder of the 2019-20 year, Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez announced Wednesday.  “Being a healthy community is key to thriving in it,” Rodriguez said. “Having students in the classroom is ideal and we miss seeing their...

WATSONVILLE—Brian Orozco prides himself in putting his clients at Functional Fitness Training Center through a vigorous workout that challenges them both physically and mentally. Weaving his way through the Employment Development Board’s system to file an unemployment claim put his strenuous workouts to shame. He tried...

WATSONVILLE—The Salvation Army in Watsonville is continuing most of its services for homeless people, even as the COVID-19 pandemic forces many businesses and services to temporarily shut their doors.  “We’re planning to help where we can,” said Lt. Raymundo Jimenez, who oversees the location, along...