Local News

Watsonville Community Hospital reported there was no confirmed ICE presence on the hospital campus, despite a reported sighting of suspicious-looking vehicles earlier in the day, according to Tony Nuñez, board chair of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District.  Volunteers from Your Allied Rapid Response for...

A large photo display was part of the 120th anniversary celebration of the Watsonville Buddhist Temple Saturday. Speakers, a proclamation from the City of Watsonville and another from Santa Cruz County, historical displays and more filled out the event.

Dancers from various groups perform at a Day of the Dead, or Dios De Muertos, celebration Saturday in Romo Park Saturday. The free event, put on by Kalpulli Ehecacoatl Danza Y Cultura, drew hundreds of people to downtown Watsonville to view the ceremony and...

Federal immigration agents arrived at the Santa Cruz Main Jail Saturday morning in an attempt to take a person into custody but left without detaining anyone, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said. During the incident, community members, including volunteers from Your Allied Rapid Response...

Nurses, physicians and community members came together Saturday afternoon in defense of Watsonville Community hospital’s mother-baby service lines, which include labor and delivery and neonatal intensive care, at a town hall organized by nurses.  Pajaro Valley Health Care District is considering closing the labor and...

Watsonville Community Hospital is considering closing its maternity department, including labor and delivery and neonatal intensive care services, as costs continue to exceed revenue.  The hospital has about 7 to 12 days of cash on hand, and a daily cash loss of $86,000, according to...

Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center of Santa Cruz welcomed the Sutter Health mobile simulation lab back into town for its second training on Oct. 20. In this round of training, participants responded to a patient having post-surgery arrhythmias, or change in heartbeat rhythm.  After a classroom...

Santa Cruz County officials are preparing for what could be a historically strong El Niño this winter, with crews strengthening levees, clearing drainage channels and improving emergency warning systems in communities still recovering from the devastating storms of 2023. The Santa Cruz County Board of...

UC Santa Cruz researchers found a new technique that forecasts harmful algal blooms (HABs) up to seven weeks in advance. This new method uses copepods, zooplankton that eat toxic algae, as a part of the measuring system.  Copepods produce a chemical called copepodamide, which the algae...

What happens when a lovable nerd discovers a sentient, carnivorous plant that brings him the attention he craves, but in return demands blood sacrifice? That’s the question that drives “Little Shop of Horrors,” a musical the Aptos High School drama team is presenting this week. While...