Local News

A rapidly spreading wildland fire broke out Wednesday afternoon around 1:30pm, forcing people from their homes and scrambling to save pets.  By the time firefighters arrived, flames were charging up a steep wooded hillside on the 100 block of Vega Road while a towering column...

Congresswoman Barbara Lee visited Watsonville Monday evening as part of her campaign to gain the seat of outgoing U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. After an introduction by Supervisor Felipe Hernandez, Lee took to the podium at Jalisco’s restaurant where more than 100 people welcomed her.  Representing California’s...

Next year, work crews will kick off a $400 million project to rebuild the levees in South Santa Cruz and North Monterey counties and keep the rivers and creeks from escaping and devastating the surrounding communities. That long-anticipated work will be a relief to the...

The Watsonville area is set to get its first county park in decades. The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved the purchase of a 38.5-acre parcel on Whiting Road, an unused patch of low-lying woodland that sits between two agricultural fields,...

Watsonville Community Hospital is one of 17 medical facilities in California that will receive immediate multimillion-dollar financial assistance in the form of zero-interest loans from the State of California. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced the $300 million Distressed Hospital Loan Program. Locally, this includes...

Watsonville Brillante, the massive, 10-phase outdoor mosaic project in Watsonville, has just been named Best in Show in the Mosaic and Glass Arts International 2023 exhibition series in Buffalo, New York.  Lead artist Kathleen Crocetti of Watsonville learned of the prestigious announcement Wednesday. “When I first...

A new 800-foot mural is in the making on a retaining wall along Main Street between Pennsylvania Drive and Clifford Avenue. With a theme of Pajaro Pollination, artists from the Made Fresh Crew of Santa Cruz started the project Aug. 15 and brushed on the...

During his eight-month campaign to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Rep. Adam Schiff has picked up key endorsements from dozens of local, state and federal lawmakers. This includes House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi.  But while such strong early support is perhaps a signal of...

The causes of food insecurity are complex, but research suggests that health, housing and employment are key factors.  Feeding America—the country’s largest hunger relief organization—reports that annual healthcare costs for food-insecure adults are on average $1,834 higher than food-secure adults. Food insecurity, as defined by...

We spoke with Melissa West, printmaker and visual artist, about Watsonville’s arts ecosystem, what inspires her to create, and where you can see her work in the coming weeks. What do you love about Watsonville’s arts community and being an artist living and working here? A...