Local News

Tarmo Hannula: Major progress is visible at the giant construction project of the new Hampton Inn & Suites on Lee Road. A new Starbucks Coffee drive-in and service station, among other shops, are in the works. • The winter solstice was Saturday, marking the first day...

I walked through the Capitola Mall on 41st Avenue last night and was surprised to see how empty it was. In Beck’s Shoes, a place that’s been there for years and offers a wide range of quality shoes, had one or two customers. The...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville’s newest charter school now has a permanent home, and a long-vacant building on the Main Street corridor will soon have a new tenant. Watsonville Prep School, which opened in August with 180 kindergarteners, first- and second-grade students, plans to occupy the second floor of...

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 the name...

Marie Massey has been drawing and painting since she could hold a pencil—as young as 4 years old in her grandmother’s garden. Since then she has been drawn to nature, wildlife and humanity in her artwork and has been painting professionally for 19 years.  Her...

WATSONVILLE—Gretchen Regenhardt, regional director of advocacy for the Watsonville branch of California Rural Legal Assistance, was showered with high esteem last week at her retirement party. About 50 people, including recently seated Watsonville Mayor Rebecca Garcia, gathered at Jalisco’s restaurant for an informal dinner, to...

SANTA CRUZ—For two decades, Santa Cruz County has held a ceremony to remember the homeless people who died during the year. The annual Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day has long been a somber occasion, often marked by stories of the deceased people. Too often, it is...

A weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like. Tarmo Hannula Food: Bantam  My wife Sarah and I recently had a great dinner at Bantam on the west side of Santa Cruz. Opened in 2012 Bantam, 1010 Fair Ave.,...

WATSONVILLE—Monterey Mushrooms, Inc., the nation’s largest mushroom grower, has agreed to pay $2.24 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that the company illegally discharged “hundreds of thousands of gallons of wastewater” into nearby waterways. Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen’s Office stated that the...

WATSONVILLE—Yocelyn Gonzalez, a senior at Pajaro Valley High School, shadowed outgoing Watsonville Mayor Francisco “Paco” Estrada and recently seated Mayor Rebecca Garcia on Wednesday after winning the Mayor for the Day essay contest earlier this month. Gonzalez followed the two leaders from 9 a.m. to...