Watsonville police arrest suspected serial burglar
WATSONVILLE—A man suspected of at least three burglaries in the Watsonville area was arrested Tuesday after allegedly breaking into a truck and stealing tools.
Benjamin Sanchez, 48, faces three counts of felony burglary. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu of $10,000...
8 injured in 3-vehicle crash
WATSONVILLE—Eight people were injured in a three-vehicle collision near the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Sunday afternoon.
California Highway Patrol officer Alyssa Gutierrez said that around 4:15pm the driver of a 2021 Porsche Cayenne was traveling eastbound on Highway 152 near Holohan Road. For unknown reasons,...
New art exhibit highlights students
Art students at Watsonville High School have pooled their talents into a new exhibit at the Pajaro Valley Arts Porter Building.
“Wildcatz Art Show,” with the theme of “Who Are the Students of Watsonville High,” showcases more than 100 artworks, including painting, drawing, photography, print-making...
‘Failure was not an option:’ Ceremony rings in new hospital ownership
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Community Hospital has been up and running under its new leadership—the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District (PVHD)—since Sept. 1.
It has been business as usual since then.
On Monday, however, a group of state and local elected officials, along with the PVHD board and a sizable...
County faces economic restrictions as it inches toward state’s watchlist
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County is days away from being placed on the California Department of Public Health’s Monitoring List and facing further economic restrictions, County Health Officer Gail Newel said at Thursday morning’s press conference.
With 531 active Covid-19 cases as of Thursday—and more...
Local syringe distribution group receives state authorization
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The California Department of Public Health has approved a plan for a local group to operate a syringe services program in Santa Cruz County.
Organizers for Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County (HRCSCC) have said they plan to provide syringes to drug...
County lifts indoor mask mandate as Covid-19 cases fall
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Vaccinated individuals are no longer required to wear masks in some indoor public spaces around Santa Cruz County after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday morning moved the county into a lower tier within its community transmission tracker.
Santa...
Officers balancing enforcement, education of COVID-19 orders
Additional reporting by Todd Guild
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—With the onset of warmer, sunny days, droves of people have been showing up at area beaches and parks, especially on weekends, even as the shelter-in-place order has hit day 41.
And beginning April 25, Santa Cruz County also...
Wetlands Watch’s youth climate institute receives state funding
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Wetlands Watch’s (WWW) Climate Corps Leadership Institute recently scored a $300,000 Youth Community Access grant from the California Natural Resources Agency.
Climate Corps Leadership Institute (CCLI), formed in 2020, grew out of WWW’s Green Careers Institute. It works to increase youth access to the...
Standoff underway with possible stabbing suspect
A man was stabbed at a car wash on Freedom Boulevard and Blanca Lane before 9 a.m. Monday morning in a failed carjacking attempt.
Letters to the editor Oct. 3 – 9
Bring tennis back to Callaghan Park
There are many American legends of men’s professional tennis. And from its beginnings, the United States has produced the...
