Local News

WATSONVILLE—Hundreds of students, staff and parents gathered at Ann Soldo Elementary School on Feb. 20 to celebrate the school’s 20th anniversary. Principal Elaine Parker said the celebration came in the same year that the school’s namesake would have turned 100. Ann Soldo taught fifth through eighth...

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District teachers are questioning a contract proposal by district officials that hinges a 1 percent salary increase on raising attendance rates to 97 percent. Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers President Nelly Vaquera-Boggs called that requirement unrealistic. “They are asking us to control...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously approved the Safe Routes to Schools plan, a 472-page document that outlines numerous potential pedestrian and traffic safety projects at 15 Watsonville schools. Also known as the Complete Streets to School Planning Project,...

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Todd Guild FOOD: Freedom Bakery I had a sweet tooth one morning, so I thought I’d check out Freedom Bakery.  Tucked incongruously into a strip of industrially-zoned businesses, the place is not easy to find. But it’s worth checking out, if only to see what this unique...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Senior Center is in the midst of an extensive, long-needed exterior facelift. New tables, chairs and other furniture now grace the community staple. A ramp compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act is in the works. And a new paint job and...

WATSONVILLE—The proposed business park at 975 Main St. will move forward despite drawing the ire of the Watsonville City Council at Tuesday night’s meeting. The Council via a 4-3 decision approved Santa Cruz Seaside Company’s appeal of the Planning Commission’s no vote from late last...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Police Special Investigations Unit located a group of six neighborhood kids who admitted shining a powerful laser light at pilots several times over the past three weeks. The kids, who ranged from 12-15, thought it would be “funny” to shine the laser at...

Yesterday I stopped by the Aptos Village Center on my way to another appointment to see the first addition to the Celebration Brick Program that my colleague, Tarmo Hannula, wrote about last week, and to get another photo for when the article runs in...