Local News

WATSONVILLE—About 50 nurses – most of them wearing bright red scrubs and improvised face masks – gathered along Nielson Street at Watsonville Community Hospital (WCH) Monday morning to protest what they say is a recent decision by hospital administrators to weaken safety standards for...

WATSONVILLE—Former Watsonville Fire Assistant Chief Gene Friend, a household name for many in the Pajaro Valley, died March 25 at Valley Convalescent in Watsonville.  Watsonville Fire Station 1 is emblazoned with his name in large letters as the namesake of the Chief Gene Friend Watsonville...

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A Santa Cruz man died after a shark attacked him at Sand Dollar Beach, which is part of Manresa State Beach. Ben Kelly, 26, was pronounced dead on the shore in front of Cañon del Sol, a gated community of 97 townhome units on...

Today is the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who was born in 1820. She was a British social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing. She rose to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War where she...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The California Department of Parks and Recreation on May 15 began to loosen up restrictions at 27 state parks. The agency previously closed parking lots at most of its locations, allowing visitors to walk in but encouraging them to stay close to their...

WATSONVILLE—It took roughly a decade for Watsonville to fully recover from the Great Recession, and officials fear the Covid-19 pandemic’s mass closures could send the city into a similar financial quagmire. As restaurants and shops have closed, and auto sales—Watsonville’s top sales tax generator—have slumped,...

WATSONVILLE—When April Ortiz became pregnant during her senior year at Watsonville High School, severe morning sickness and other complications sidelined her education. Then came the birth. “Mothering was a new life and a new experience,” she said.  Ortiz, now 26, received her GED on May 22 from...

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was updated from a previous version first published on May 22. WATSONVILLE—Four ‘clusters’ of Covid-19 cases have been identified in the Watsonville area, all of them associated with large family gatherings, according to Santa Cruz County officials. There have been at least...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a proposal to allow restaurants and businesses in the unincorporated areas of the county to use their parking lots for outdoor eating and shopping areas.  The plan was designed to help ease...