One killed in big rig vs car collision
WATSONVILLE—A man died Tuesday evening after a big rig and small car collided on San Juan Road on the outskirts of Watsonville.
Monterey County Sheriff/Coroner’s Office Cmdr. Derrel Simpson identified the victim as Jose Avila Rios, 36, of Salinas.
California Highway Patrol officer Jessica Madueño said...
METRO offers employment incentives to address staffing ‘crisis’
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) has introduced a number of new incentives aimed at attracting qualified bus operators to address an “unprecedented crisis in staffing levels” in public transportation.
Thanks to a recent contract extension between METRO and the three unions...
World’s reported Covid death toll passes 4 Million
The world’s known coronavirus death toll passed 4 million Thursday, a loss roughly equivalent to the population of Los Angeles, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
It took nine months for the virus to claim 1 million lives,...
Police nab alleged jewelry store burglar
SANTA CRUZ—A man suspected of robbing a jewelry store in downtown Santa Cruz was arrested Thursday after a tipster recognized him from security footage, Santa Cruz Police Lt. Arnold Vasquez said.
Gregory Richard Burros, 34, was charged with burglary. He was booked into Santa Cruz...
Watsonville businesses embrace outdoor operations
WATSONVILLE—As many shelter-in-place restrictions remain in place due to Covid-19, state, county and city officials have looked for ways to allow businesses to open safely.
This has included moving outdoors—onto sidewalks, into parking lots and even streets. Watsonville businesses have slowly been making the move,...
Volunteers target trash in Watsonville
More than 50 people from Pacific Gas & Electric, Watsonville Works and other groups hit the streets of Watsonville Thursday morning with a single target in mind: trash.
The three-hour community cleanup, headed up by Ramon Gomez, chief of staff for Supervisor Felipe Hernandez, fanned...
Final chapter for Kelly’s Books
After 12 years of running Watsonville’s only bookstore, Kelly Pleskunas will hang up her closed sign at Kelly’s Books for the last time Nov. 4.
“I want to send a heartfelt thank you to all the customers who have supported me these past 12 years,”...
Elkhorn Slough researcher to receive national award
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.
Man arrested after chase on stolen motorcycle
WATSONVILLE—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies on Saturday arrested a man after a brief chase on a stolen motorcycle that had swapped plates.
Alejandro Villarreal, 33, was charged with evading police, receiving stolen property and drug possession. He also faces charges for driving while his license...
Powerful storms clobber Central Coast
A string of strong winter storms slammed the Central Coast over the past several days, toppling power and communication lines, knocking down scores of...
