Local News

WATSONVILLE—The major renovation of the Watsonville High School cafeteria is moving ahead, with floor tile installation near completion and last minute touches being done. General contractor Avila Construction is heading up the project, estimated at $3.3 million. It is the school’s final allocation from Measure...

WATSONVILLE—A man was seriously injured Saturday afternoon when his motorcycle plowed into a jeep SUV on Harkins Slough Road in Watsonville.  Watsonville Police Sgt. Mike Ridgway said the man was riding a Suzuki motorcycle southbound on Harkins Slough road around 3:30pm. A man driving a...

A Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge has ruled that the City of Watsonville violated state law when it approved housing development near the Watsonville Municipal Airport without first adopting required airport safety standards. In a 24-page decision issued Feb. 3, Judge Timothy Schmal sided...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville leaders past and present showered longtime Watsonville City Clerk Beatriz Vasquez Flores with praise at Tuesday night’s Watsonville City Council meeting, honoring the outgoing official for her 42 years of service to the municipality. Along with kind words from active city council members and...

Just over three decades ago, a group of people set out on a 545-mile bicycle journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles, a weeklong trek that took them along rugged coastlines, through verdant agricultural fields and along vast stretches of highway. Then called the California...

WATSONVILLE—A new bilingual center, aiming to provide services and resources to families across Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties, will open its doors Monday in Watsonville. Located at 1205 Freedom Blvd., Raíces y Cariño: A Community Collective for Families (RC Fam) will offer a...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The World Health Organization on Thursday declared the spread of coronavirus a global health emergency, saying that its spread can still be halted if all countries take strong countermeasures. “...all countries should be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation and...

WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville man was arrested for burglary after he was caught on a security camera worming his way through a small window of a local business. Raul Diaz, 41, allegedly stole a small amount of cash from the business. He was caught, along with accomplice...

Tarmo Hannula: Our Medditerean climate leaves little to complain about — mild summers, with a few hot spells; mild winters with a few cold weeks and some challenging storms. But these roasting hot days this week and with the scorchers of mid-August that brought us...

SANTA CRUZ—A Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy assigned as a correctional officer in the jail has been arrested for allegedly having a sexual relationship win an inmate, Sheriff’s spokeswoman Ashley Keehn announced Saturday. Jessica Smith was charged with sexual activity with an inmate, assault by...