Local News

A weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like.

SANTA CRUZ—The four men who investigators say kidnapped and murdered a Pleasure Point man two years ago appeared in court Tuesday for the first day of their preliminary hearing. Stephen Lindsay, 28, Joshua Camps, 25, and brothers Kaleb and Kurtis Charters, 20 and 23, respectively,...

A Watsonville man already facing murder charges – and who has twice been charged with operating an illegal marijuana dispensary out of his Watsonville home – appeared in court Monday, where a judge refused a prosecutor’s request to increase his $100,000 bail.

Guitarist Chris Cain will be bringing his style of jazz-tinged, blues-soaked guitar and vocals to the ballroom of the Appleton Grill, 410 Rodriguez St. in Watsonville, on Friday.

For Michelle Martinez Kamalani and her mother, Judy Martinez of Watsonville, Memorial Day meant setting time aside to visit Valley Catholic Cemetery.  With an electric weed-whacker, a whisk broom,  hand clippers and two bunches of fresh flowers, the pair wandered through the rows of flower-festooned...

The 17th annual Cultural Caliente! Dance Concert, which serves as a scholarship fundraiser, will feature a wealth of dances including hip-hop, folklorico, modern, cha cha, tango, on top of a mix of local dance groups. It runs Friday at the Mello Center, 250 East Beach St., at 7 p.m.

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville’s voters have spoken. And their message was clear: keep our police and fire departments strong. Measure Y, the renewal of the half-cent public safety sales tax, passed with a little more than 76 percent of the votes from Tuesday night’s primary election. The measure will take...

WATSONVILLE—A new exhibit will soon open at Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA), aiming to explore people’s relationship with their ancestors, the natural world and themselves.  “Alma Sagrada: Cultivando Ritmos Naturales” (Sacred Soul: Cultivating Natural Rhythms) opens on April 6 in partnership with the Amah Mutsun Tribal...

WATSONVILLE—The man and woman who were found dead inside a van parked in the parking lot of the Rodeway Inn in Watsonville on March 8 have been identified as Nicholas Reagan, 29, and Barbara Reid, 64. According to Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman...