Local News

WATSONVILLE—Caitlin Bayaca is on track to earn the highest award of the Girl Scouts organization.  The Gold Award is designed for high school-age scouts and ambassadors, who create, propose and lead a major community service project. Bayaca, a senior at Aptos High School and part of...

SACRAMENTO—The California Highway Patrol is embarking on a multiyear recruiting campaign to fill 1,000 vacant officer positions.  The “Join the CHP 1,000” campaign is an attempt to appeal to a wide array  of applicants “who may not be aware of the life-changing opportunity that awaits...

Watsonville Police on Monday arrested a man wanted on a warrant out of Merced after a brief chase. Angel Sanchez was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail to await extradition to Merced, Watsonville Police Sgt. Brian Ridgway said. A witness who asked not to be identified...

Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeffrey Rosell on Tuesday announced the settlement of a civil law enforcement action against Walgreens Company.

Watsonville Police secure a crime scene around a section of the Pajaro River levee Saturday morning where a passerby discovered the body of a man hanging from a tree around 9am. Watsonville Police said it appeared the man had been hanging from the tree...

Four decades ago, a group of stalwart cannery workers—mostly women—staged a 18-month strike against two companies they believed were exploiting them.  In doing so, they cemented their place in history as having led the largest strike in U.S. history, a successful David-and-Goliath standoff that is...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Senior Center is in the midst of an extensive, long-needed exterior facelift. New tables, chairs and other furniture now grace the community staple. A ramp compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act is in the works. And a new paint job and...

Dozens of people gathered Tuesday to celebrate the grand opening of Sparrow Terrace, a development by nonprofit MidPen Housing. Located at 141 Miles Lane, Sparrow Terrace offers 72 affordable apartment homes for people with incomes of 30%-60% area median income, which ranges from $38,040-$108,660, depending...

Pajaro Valley Unified School District is not considering increasing class sizes as a way to address future budget cuts. In a Dec. 5 story, about the district’s Sustainable Budget Team, The Pajaronian referred to a recommendation by the California Department of Education to “increase kindergarten...

WATSONVILLE — The new Hampton Inn & Suites on Lee Road is slated for an early March opening. Owner Juggy Tut said he is excited about the doors finally swinging open at the 112-room, four-story inn that has largely been constructed during the pandemic. “We’re looking...