Local News

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville High senior Josh Rocha stood on the sidelines with 40 seconds left in the game, watching every second tick away until the scoreboard read all zeros.  “I was just soaking it in, this is my last time I’m ever going to put on this...

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took the first step in crafting rules governing Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), giving their unanimous approval to a draft ordinance that aims to give a measure of local control to new facilities. The ordinance before...

Nearly every year, a portion of Paulsen Road in Watsonville floods during winter rains, forcing officials to put up temporary barriers to stop motorists from getting stranded in the deep water. And yet numerous people do just that, ignoring the signs and getting trapped...

Watsonville Police conduct a high-risk car stop on South Green Valley Road Tuesday where officers snared a man suspected of felony sex crimes about a year ago in the Watsonville area.

WATSONVILLE—For more than a decade, dozens of families have grown their own produce on a one-acre community garden located on the property of All Saints Episcopal Church in Watsonville.  The 50 or so crops include corn, peppers, tomatoes and tomatillos, in addition to several fruit...

This year Kitayama Brothers, a cut flower grower based in Watsonville, is celebrating its 73rd year in business.  Not long after World War II, brothers Tom and Ray Kitayama landed in San Francisco’s east bay and began working for Yoshimi Shibata and Dan Shinoda, two...

On Wednesday, Kerstin Wasson, Ph.D., Research Coordinator for the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, will receive the 2018 National Wetlands Award for Science Research, to be presented by the Environmental Law Institute in a ceremony at the U.S. Botanic Gardens in Washington, D.C.

WATSONVILLE—The 11th Annual Watsonville Film Festival rolls out the red carpet March 3-12.   Co-Founder and Director Consuelo Alba said the festival will have screenings at the Mello Center and the Watsonville Public Library as well as online viewing opportunities.  “This year’s Festival presents an exciting line-up...

The Never Forget Memorial Relay was held Sunday in Aptos Village Park. The eighth annual  event featured 33  teams of four from police and fire departments, California State Parks, the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office, the county Probation Department and others whose teams...