Local News

SANTA CRUZ—The man who gunned down a rival gang member and killed a 4-year-old girl in the crossfire nearly six years ago was sentenced Thursday to two consecutive terms of life without parole in state prison. Michael Escobar, 36, also received more than 12 years...

When Phoenix Artemisia decided to open a yoga studio in Watsonville in 2016, no other location around the city grabbed her attention more than downtown. That was despite some pushback from friends, who had concerns about her safety and that of her clients.  Artemisia, ever the...

Do you have a recent photo you’d like to share? Send it to us for consideration by emailing it to [email protected] or mailing it to 21 Brennan St., Suite 14, Watsonville, CA 95076. Please include a brief description of the photo as well as...

"Try This" is a weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like. • Tony Nuñez FOOD: Cassidy’s Pizza: Turkey Sandwich I’m a big believer in the beauty of simplicity. An object, idea or food dish can be simple and still...

WATSONVILLE—When Bike Santa Cruz County approached South County officials to start up a monthly community bike ride, Watsonville Cyclery owner Julian “Jules” Mandujano was eager to get involved. Every last Friday of the month, Mandujano offers up his business at 25 East 5th St. as...

Just beyond the veneer of traffic din and mundane get-your-coffee-and-go workaday world lies a vast network of trails, which snake through Watsonville’s slough system. Discovering them takes only a brief walk from about two-dozen entrances scattered throughout the city. But until I took a half-day,...

WATSONVILLE—When author Edward R. Weingold was only 8 years old, he was scanning through his parents’ world atlas when he came across a life-changing photograph. The graphic image showed a pile of corpses—victims of the Buchenwald concentration camp in Nazi Germany. Weingold said he remembers his...

WATSONVILLE—Digital NEST Founder and Executive Director Jacob Martinez on Wednesday was named a 2020 recipient of the prestigious James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award.  Since 1937, the James Irvine Foundation has provided more than $1.87 billion in grants to nonprofit organizations in California. James Irvine, a...

WATSONVILLE—A blood drive will be held Friday at the Pajaro Valley Health Trust in honor of a 35-year veteran of the Watsonville Fire Department, Captain Danny Lucas.  On Nov. 20 Lucas was seriously injured in a hunting accident in Montana when a large caliber bullet...

As part of Engineer’s Week, the engineering crew with the City of Watsonville staged their 17th annual egg drop contest Wednesday. People from local groups, offices and schools tested their skills in wrapping an egg in various materials and then hurling it off the...