Local News

I had to brake long enough to grab a photo of a giant reindeer mingling with other Christmas decor at a Rogers Avenue home in Watsonville. • Today is the first day of winter, the solstice. Among other things, on Tuesday the days start getting longer. • If...

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, tree farms across the nation are thrust into the spotlight and sellers start their busiest time of year. This year, the industry is holding steady, despite a nationwide shortage that is pushing up prices. Heatwaves and fires that...

WATSONVILLE—Days after the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees voted to close all district schools for two weeks, allowing most employees and students to work from home, Gov. Gavin Newsom had a troubling message for educators, parents and students: expect more. “I would...

WATSONVILLE—Soon the area’s mountain bikers and BMX riders will have a haven in the heart of the city. The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a deal with Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz (MBOSC) that will bring a pump track to Ramsay Park by...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County now has several Covid-19 Test to Treat sites available to the community, including the three OptumServe testing sites, which are available to anyone regardless of insurance or documentation status. Test to Treat sites allow individuals to get tested, be...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville native Alex Reynoso has not forgotten his hometown. Nor has the Watsonville High School alumnus (class of 1991) backed away from using his talents to change the face of Watsonville. A ribbon cutting is in the works for the start of the new year...

WATSONVILLE—Every year, the Watsonville Ivy League Project selects a handful of academically successful students for a weeklong trip to some of the nation’s top universities.  The trip is for some participants a first step away from their hometowns, but for all of them, it is...

WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville man was arrested Saturday after fatally striking a man on a bicycle with his vehicle and fleeing the scene, California Highway Patrol Officer Sam Courtney said. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as Juan Diaz, 25. Steven Kay, 55, was charged...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Health officials from eight Bay Area counties on Monday issued a set of guidelines created to keep families safe from Covid-19 during the holidays. The recommendations cover travel and gatherings. The health officers from the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco,...

AROMAS—A 75-year-old Aptos man died Sept. 24 in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 129, or Riverside Road, at Rogge Lane near Aromas. Ashley Keehn of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as Dean Peppas. Alyssa Gutierrez of the California Highway Patrol said Peppas...