Local News

Marcia Hashimoto was 16 years old in 1963 when her Buddhist youth group asked 28-year-old Mas Hashimoto to present a slide show of his recent cross-country road trip. Mas was president of the Young Buddhist Association, and was respected throughout that community. His presentation had...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a trio of plans for the city’s 26 parks. Along with approving master plans for Ramsay Park and the City Plaza, the council also OK’d the 2020 Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan, a first-of-its-kind project for the...

WATSONVILLE—A crew from the City of Watsonville was hard at work Wednesday installing a new cutout mural next door to the Nature Center at Ramsay Park. The 14-foot-tall piece, “Great White Egret,” was created by Salinas artist John Cerney and depicts a white egret about...

A crew from the City of Watsonville were busy Wednesday installing a sculpture of a great white heron beside the Watsonville Nature Center in Ramsay Park. The art piece was created by John Cerney. • I saw on TV news this morning that there is another...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Pajaro River Levee has received its first confirmed infusion of federal funding, which is expected to move forward long-awaited storm safety and flood prevention upgrades, Congressman Jimmy Panetta announced Tuesday.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fiscal Year 2020 Work Plan provides $1.8 million...

Tarmo Hannula: February is Black History Month. I’ve seen a few venues around town that honor this important page on the calendar. The main branch of the downtown Santa Cruz Public Library has a special display set up showcasing a bunch of related books,...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Powerful winds pounded the Central Coast and other parts of California Sunday, tearing down utility lines, dropping trees and limbs across roads and buildings and injuring several people.  With some gusts recorded over 80 mph, the freak windstorm also triggered several wildland fires,...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday will be asked to approve the final plans for Ramsay Park and the City Plaza, as well as a giant, all-encompassing roadmap for the city’s 26 parks. Prepared over the course of several months, the 2020 Parks and Recreation...

An upbeat ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance headquarters at the corner of East Lake and Brewington avenues unfolded under sunny skies Thursday in Watsonville. The new facility is an expansion of PVPSA, a local nonprofit that aims...