Seniors graduate from A Matter of Balance class
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville City Councilwoman Rebecca Garcia recently awarded certificates to 10 senior citizens at the Watsonville Senior Center who graduated from the A Matter of Balance program.
The national program run by the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County RSVP is designed to reduce the fear...
Young racer boasts local, state titles
WATSONVILLE—Kaiden Gowen is just 8 years old, but he already has a three-year racing career under his belt, and a handful of local and state championship wins to show for it.
He competes in quarter midget racing, which uses vehicles that are one-quarter the size...
Trial starts for double murder suspect
SANTA CRUZ—Nearly five years after Michael Escobar allegedly gunned down a rival gang member and killed a young girl in the crossfire, his case is finally being presented to a jury.
Jurors heard opening arguments Tuesday in the case that is likely to take at...
Power returning, more shutoffs could happen Tuesday
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—PG&E announced Monday that workers have begun to restore electricity to the 45,000 homes and businesses in Santa Cruz County affected by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS).
County spokesman Jason Hoppin said that it could take as long as 48 hours for...
Green Valley Road faces multi-day closure
WATSONVILLE—Heavily-trafficked Green Valley Road will be shut down between Struve Slough and Carey Avenue—near the Home Depot store—until Thursday, according to City of Watsonville officials.
The road closure was first announced on Oct. 24 and went into effect on Saturday. Crews from Granite Construction worked...
Watsonville Police seeking hit-and-run driver
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Police Department is asking for help from the community to find a driver who struck and seriously injured a woman early Sunday morning before fleeing.
The crash occurred just before 5 a.m. on the 1000 block of Freedom Boulevard.
The victim, who is in...
City seeking community’s input for Muzzio Park rebuild
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Parks and Community Services (PCS) Department recently received a large grant to help rebuild the Muzzio Park playground that was burned down in early June.
GameTime, a national commercial playground manufacturer, will provide $15,000-37,000 on top of the $25,000 the City received in...
Capitola Plein Air paints its fifth year
CAPITOLA—Forty artists from across the county fanned out around Capitola last week with canvas, easels, chalk and tubes of color in tow, in hopes of distilling a handful of the coastal city’s choice land and seascapes on canvas and paper.
The efforts were part of...
The history of downtown Watsonville|Try This
Try this is a weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like.
Tarmo Hannula
Food
Blaze Pizza
I had a late lunch recently at a new (for me) pizza spot on the West Side of Santa Cruz—Blaze Pizza, 1901 Mission...
Updated public safety sales tax coming to voters in March 2020
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday placed the updated half-cent public safety sales tax on the March 3 ballot.
The vote was as contentious as the hour-and-a-half discussion. The decision passed 4-3, with Mayor pro-tem Rebecca Garcia and councilmembers Trina Coffman-Gomez and Ari Parker dissenting.
Those...
Prep Athletes of the Week: St. Francis’ Joseph Dayritt, Maya Calfee
The Pajaronian’s Prep Athletes of the Week were selected based on their performances during the week of Sept. 1-7. Coaches and athletic directors are...
