Local News

WATSONVILLE—Santa Cruz County has some work to do in the fight against obesity, discrimination and housing inequality. But it’s making steady progress in the diversity of its student body, teenage pregnancy rates and the number of incarcerated young people. That’s according to the annual Santa...

WATSONVILLE—Dozens of families lined up at Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes Friday afternoon, waiting for a parcel of food aimed at getting them through the Thanksgiving holiday. This included a chicken or turkey, produce, bread and oil, among other things. The organization’s executive director Joann Godoy...

WATSONVILLE—Jolly old St. Nicholas won’t be squeezing down the chimney and bringing gifts and holiday cheer for weeks. But he made an early visit to Watsonville on Sunday for the city’s Holiday in the Plaza celebration, an annual event that kicks off the city’s end-of-year...

SALINAS—The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), public health and regulatory officials in several states and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157: H7 infections linked to romaine lettuce harvested from the Salinas Valley.  Thus far there...

WATSONVILLE—Deep in Second Harvest Food Bank’s cavernous warehouse on Thursday, a group of New School Community Day School students was hard at work, surrounded by pallets of produce and crates of canned goods. The volunteer activity, which centered around preparing the food for distribution, was...

Discover PCS! Please complete the online application by 3/5/20 and attend one of the following information meetings if you have not done so in the last two years. An RSVP is required to attend a meeting. Spanish translation will be available at all lottery...

Johanna Miller Food: Savory crepes from Mr. Z’s Mr. Z’s Crepes and Teas is one of a handful of businesses to recently arrive at The Hanger, a new complex near Watsonville Airport. I’ve already been out to grab one of their tasty bubble teas. This week...

WATSONVILLE—During a recent cleaning of her house, Aromas author and artist Joyce Oroz discovered a set of acrylic paintings tucked away in a corner of her attic.  She had painted the pieces about 20 years prior and almost forgotten about them.  “I knew I couldn’t just...

WATSONVILLE—Wherever he is touring in the world, Santana lead singer Andy Vargas makes sure to let everyone know about his hometown of Watsonville. “I’ve always been proud to be from Watsonville,” Vargas said.  “I tell people that they’ve probably ate our berries or drank our...

Mayor for a Day contest opens Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be the Mayor of a city? Now is your chance to be Mayor for the Day with Watsonville Mayor Francisco “Paco” Estrada.  To be considered, submit a one-page essay to...