Local News

A look at street racing in Watsonville.

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council in a Monday night special closed session meeting reviewed candidates for the city’s vacant city manager position. Watsonville City Attorney Samantha Zutler on Tuesday morning said that the council took no action on the item, the lone topic on the meeting’s...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—If Sunday’s Basin Fire is any indication of what 2021’s fire season will bring, San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit Chief Ian Larkin and the mountains surrounding Santa Cruz County are in for a bumpy ride this fire season. The roughly 7-acre blaze among the...

PAJARO—On the same day that the City of Watsonville lifted its evacuation warnings and orders, residents of the town of Pajaro are questioning why the orders keeping them out of their homes still stand. The Main Street bridge over the Pajaro River was still closed...

As the new year approaches, we take a look at the stories and imagesthat captured the most attention over the past year. All photos are by Pajaronian photographer Tarmo Hannula. January TERMINAL CONDITION The year started off with a literal bang, as the battery energy storage system...

PAJARO VALLEY—About 50 people gathered Sunday in Watsonville’s community room to explore ways to phase out toxic farming chemicals and convert Pajaro Valley farmlands to organic and regenerative farming.  The group of speakers included farmers, farmworkers, doctors, retired teachers, experts in environmental health and justice...

Update (6am, Aug. 26) The CZU August Lightning Complex fires have now stretched to 80,137 acres and destroyed 538 structures, nearly all of them in Santa Cruz County. The Count of Santa Cruz on Tuesday established a damage assessment map that shows where structures have been...

WATSONVILLE—In September, a hastily-organized event dubbed Nerdville drew more than 800 comics fans, collectors and geeks of every ilk to celebrate superheroes and share their love for a genre that has captivated the world since The Phantom debuted in 1936. Friends of Watsonville Parks and...

A Watsonville man and a 16-year-old boy in a stolen vehicle picked up a 12-year-old girl who ran away from a group home on Monday, and were arrested when they brought her back, according to Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Sgt. Brian Cleveland.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The World Health Organization on Thursday declared the spread of coronavirus a global health emergency, saying that its spread can still be halted if all countries take strong countermeasures. “...all countries should be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation and...