Local News

SACRAMENTO—The California Department of Education (CDE) on Monday released a set of guidelines for schools statewide to use as they seek to reopen in the fall, nearly three months after they closed to slow the spread of Covid-19. While the state agency leaves actual policymaking...

A six-month project to improve pavement quality on five miles of Highway 1 through Watsonville, both north and southbound, is moving toward completion. “We have about three weeks of work remaining on this project,” said Caltrans spokesman Kevin Drabinski. “That timeline is weather dependent. During...

CALIFORNIA—The U.S. Census Bureau has started its final round of hiring for the 2020 Census, which begins in March.  The agency is looking to hire census takers for temporary, five-week positions, which include a paid training period. Positions start at $21 per hour. “Basically we are...

One mile of the College Lake Pipeline Project in Watsonville has now been completed, with five miles to go.  The project calls for six miles of 30-inch water main to transport treated water from a new College Lake facility on Holohan Road to more than...

Days after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order directing jurisdictions throughout the state to address the homeless camps within their borders—and about one month after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that laws banning sleeping in public do not constitute cruel and unusual punishment—unsanctioned...

Colin Disheroon would like to “change the story around cannabis” in any way he can.

PLEASURE POINT—The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s office on Wednesday released a video of the suspects who allegedly kidnapped a man from his Pleasure Point home last month and then killed him. Tushar Atre, 50, was kidnapped from his upscale oceanfront home on Oct. 1 around...

*Note: Erik Chalhoub contributed to this report Watsonville’s Veterans Day Celebration returns to downtown after last year’s in-person event was cancelled due to Covid-19. Veterans and others will begin gathering at 9:30am on Nov. 11 in the parking lot of St. Patrick’s Church, 721 Main St....

The organization responsible for keeping Watsonville’s wetlands healthy joined forces with city officials  and a herd of volunteers Saturday to spruce up the Struve Slough trail. Watsonville Wetlands Watch (WWW) Director Jonathan Pilch said the effort included planting 15 coast live oak trees and bringing...

The fifth annual Mole and Mariachi Festival took place Saturday at Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park.