Local News

They’ve painted over 1,000 houses in Watsonville. Now the Hernandez father and sons company are on a roll, tackling a massive paint job for one of the most prominent historical homes in Watsonville, the 1901 Porter-Pista home on the corner of East Beach and...

APTOS—Pajaro Valley Unified School District announced Wednesday it is closing Rio Del Mar Elementary School for two days after a person there tested positive for coronavirus. District officials are not saying what the person’s relationship to the school is. They were last at the school...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday decided to push its decision on proposed changes to the City’s cannabis laws to its March 24 meeting. The move, approved by a 6-1 vote with Mayor Rebecca Garcia dissenting, came after City Attorney Alan Smith told the Council...

The main branch of the Watsonville Public Library has a display of literature to recognize of Women's History Month, which is March. • This evening, showers will taper off to fog around 11 p.m. The National Weather Service said more rain appears to be on the...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The World Health Organization on Wednesday classified COVID-19 as a pandemic, as lawmakers and leaders worldwide grapple with rapidly growing numbers of cases. There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have died. Thousands more have been hospitalized,...

WATSONVILLE—The tricky intersection at Airport Boulevard and Holm Road will soon be a bit safer. That’s thanks to a $481,600 Highway Safety Improvement Program grant accepted by the City Council during its Tuesday meeting that will cover the costs of installing a traffic signal at...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) announced Wednesday that it will be cancelling its 2020 festival, which was scheduled to start tomorrow and run through Sunday. A letter from WFF Executive Director Consuelo Alba and the Board of Directors said that the festival has been cancelled...

A light sprinkle fell over Watsonville Tuesday but for only about 15 minutes. The National Weather Service said there is also a chance of rain tonight. After that, the next chance of rain isn’t until Saturday. • A 5.8 earthquake rattled a portion of Northern California...

SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday declared a local emergency in response to the increasing numbers of coronavirus cases. The board also ratified a Mar. 4 declaration by Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel of a local health emergency. Health...

SANTA CRUZ—Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County on Sunday at its annual awards dinner honored citizens that helped make last year’s Holiday Food & Fund Drive its most successful yet. The dinner, held at Hotel Paradox in Santa Cruz, served as a stage to...