Local News

Watsonville restaurant The Rustic Table marched away with a first-place award for their Boston clam chowder over the weekend at the annual Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook Off at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. “In every which way, we came out of this feeling accomplished,...

Residents of the Martinelli Street area of Watsonville have reported a rash of tire thefts over the past few weeks.

When Santa Cruz author Jean Mahoney was a little girl, she discovered an old, battered scrapbook in her family’s home.

WATSONVILLE—Over the next two years, the city of Watsonville plans to invest roughly $7.5 million to give Sotomayor Soccer Field at Ramsay Park a complete makeover and get several other projects at the city’s largest park “shovel ready.” It also hopes to increase the funding...

WATSONVILLE—Five years after Michael Escobar gunned down a rival gang member, and killed a young girl when one of his bullets went astray, a jury convicted him of two counts of first-degree murder and several special allegations. Escobar, now 36, will likely be sentenced to...

As the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors prepares to approve its $1.04 billion budget—a process that includes presentations from every department later this month—they must consider a grim prediction: a recession will hit this year, and is estimated to last the better part...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police Department is warning residents about a scam in which a caller pretends to be a police officer and asks for a callback to discuss “confidential legal matters.”  The caller reportedly falsely claimed to be WPD Sgt. Michael Ridgway. The person who received the call...

Christian Youth Theatre (CYT) will bring its version of Roald Dahl's “Matilda, the Musical” to the Crocker Theater at Cabrillo College Oct. 27-29.  Organizers say the performance promises to be a “magical experience for theater enthusiasts of all ages.” “Matilda,” based on Dahl’s 1988 novel, tells...

WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville woman was arrested Monday for causing a major injury while driving under the influence of alcohol, California Highway Patrol officer Sam Courtney said. Maia Cahill, 46, was charged with DUI causing injury. She was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu of...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced that the state is “setting our eyes on fully reopening by June 15—with commonsense measures like masking.” Newsom made the announcement via Twitter, and reiterated the state’s plan to eventually forgo the current four-tiered, color-coded reopening system during...