Local News

The first baby born in Santa Cruz County came 44 minutes into the New Year at Watsonville Community Hospital. At 12:44am Wednesday Magali Elias and Josué Reyes welcomed their first child, Ailany Galilea, to the world thanks to the folks at the Hospital’s Labor and...

WATSONVILLE—In the days leading up to the first countywide economic shutdown, Lona Martinez thought the possibility of a mass closure was a rumor sparked by those looking to scare the public. “I thought it was a bunch of hype,” she said. “And then it happened...it...

One week after announcing that funding woes could force local Head Start and early Head Start programs to close, Encompass Community Services—which oversees the programs—announced that they will remain open through Oct. 31. The announcement means that the 250 families that depend on the early...

Field workers help pick up a load of strawberries that toppled from a shipping truck on Riverside Drive at Locust Street Monday. The spill backed up eastbound traffic from 1:45pm until 2:15pm.

WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville has asked all departments to trim their budgets by 10 percent to prepare for the economic slump over the next three years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Finance Department Director Cindy Czerwin at Tuesday’s City Council meeting predicted Watsonville...

WATSONVILLE—A group of residents from Watsonville's senior neighborhoods gathered at the Pajaro Village Club House last week to hear a presentation on pesticide use, and on an upcoming pilot project to notify residents on nearby applications. Hosted by the Center for Farmworkers Families, Safe Ag...

Nearly three weeks after the Aug. 8 double shooting after a beach party at the Crow’s Nest restaurant rattled the Santa Cruz community, no arrests have been made. Two victims were shot multiple times and remain in critical condition this week. Police have not disclosed...

A woman who lost her wallet in 1962 was reunited with it 58 years later this week when construction workers found the red leather folding wallet during a refurbishing project of a movie theater. It was discovered in a framing and sheetrock cavity inside...

About seven years ago, Marie Riggs was living in a homeless shelter and addicted to alcohol, wondering how she would survive this low point in her life. “I was a hopeless mess,” she said. “I had no idea how to live, I didn’t know how...