City receives large grant for pedestrian highway overpass to PV High
WATSONVILLE—One month after Pajaro Valley High School (PVHS) unveiled its long awaited sports complex, another massive project years in the making took a giant leap forward.
The California Transportation Commission on Wednesday approved an $11.7 million grant to help the city of Watsonville build a...
Coroner: Santa Cruz Jail inmate was strangled to death
SANTA CRUZ — The man found dead in his cell Monday at Santa Cruz County Main Jail was strangled, sheriff’s spokeswoman Ashley Keehn announced early Thursday.
German Carrillo, 24, of Watsonville, was in custody on murder charges since April 2013.
Carrillo shared a cell with two other...
New Starbucks opens
The staff extends an invitation the new Starbucks that opened Thursday morning at 1726 Freedom Blvd. Manager Christine Deschler (second from right) said they will offer the full range of Starbucks beverages, pastries and other goods. The drive-thru/walk up business will serve motor traffic...
Gilroy woman dies in solo-vehicle crash in Prunedale
PRUNEDALE—A 32-year-old Gilroy woman died in a solo-vehicle crash early Monday in Prunedale.
California Highway Patrol officer Jessica Medueño said the woman was driving a 2007 Mazda 3 sedan westbound on Highway 156 at Cathedral Oak Road near Castroville around 6:30am.
For unknown reasons she lost...
Ella’s at the Airport owner granted lease transfer
WATSONVILLE—Ella’s at the Airport will indeed change hands after the City of Watsonville and owner/operator Ella King came to an agreement on a five-year lease that is set to be transferred to new owner/operator Chielo Apac.
The Watsonville City Council approved the lease and transfer...
Ag fields prepare | About Town
I swung through Aptos today and got some photos of Alina Mitchell, 5, lending Santa a hand in opening letters to Santa. Due to the pandemic, a special mailbox was built just for Santa's mail, thanks to the folks at the Aptos Chamber of...
Police seize guns, drugs at Watsonville mobile home park
Scotts Valley Police officer Forrest Green shows one of six guns police seized Tuesday while serving search warrants on three homes. Ed Delfin, commander of the Santa Cruz County Anti Crime Team, said members from the California Highway Patrol, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office,...
Covid-19 restrictions loosen as Santa Cruz County sees fewer cases
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—California health officials on Tuesday moved Santa Cruz County into the less restrictive “Moderate” or Orange tier, meaning that several businesses can reopen and welcome in more customers.
The move means that the county is seeing 1-3.9 new cases per 100,00 in population....
Watsonville Fire Captain to continue fighting fires after hunting accident
WATSONVILLE—It was a homecoming celebration for the books: About 60 firefighters, police officers, professionals, retirees, friends and family assembled at Watsonville Municipal Airport Monday to welcome home one of their own.
At 12:30 p.m. a private jet landed, swung down the tarmac and stopped at...
Watsonville author’s first work, ‘Gordo,’ widely praised
WATSONVILLE—Local author Jaime Cortez always had nicknames, and now one of them has become his first book. “Gordo,” a paperback collection of stories, is quickly gathering praise after its release by a national publisher in August.
And while “Gordo” is Cortez’s first widely distributed work,...
A “place of healing”—Tiny home village unveiled
With a small handful of finishing touches still left to complete on a tiny home village in Westview Presbyterian Church’s parking lot in Watsonville,...
