Local News

In Santa Cruz Superior Court, suspected murderer Patrick A. Collins made his first appearance early Monday before Judge Stephen Siegel.

WATSONVILLE—In a historic move at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, the City of Watsonville officially apologized to the local Filipino community for the 1930 anti-Filipino race riots, which ended in the death of one man and ignited unrest across California.  It did so in a resolution...

The annual Hanamatsuri at the Watsonville Buddhist Temple included a raffle, food sales, vendors of various goods, a bonsai tree display, live music and other events in hopes of bringing the community up to speed with Japanese culture.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has identified the woman who died after reportedly being bitten by a shark as 55-year-old Erica Fox. Sheriff’s officials said Fox’s body was found near Davenport Beach on Saturday around 2pm along the rugged coastline north of Santa Cruz....

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) has introduced a number of new incentives aimed at attracting qualified bus operators to address an “unprecedented crisis in staffing levels” in public transportation. Thanks to a recent contract extension between METRO and the three unions...

APTOS—Cabrillo College’s theater arts department is finally returning to in-person performances after three seasons of virtual shows. “Charley’s Aunt” is a wacky farce chock full of love, deception, and confusion. Originally written by English playwright Brandon Thomas in 1862, Cabrillo’s production will be directed by...

WATSONVILLE—When the nonprofit Defend Our Health tested bottle caps from 141 beverage brands, they found potentially harmful chemicals in more than a third of them. Two Martinelli’s products were among these brands, but the Watsonville-based apple juice and cider company says it is now...

WATSONVILLE—To say Watsonville City Councilman Francisco “Paco” Estrada had mixed feelings about the emergence of the four Covid-19 ‘clusters’ in Watsonville would be an understatement. The spike in cases was traced back to four separate family gatherings during Mother’s Day weekend, including one in which...

California road trips to the desert, the State Capitol, the San Joaquin Valley, the Bay Area or the Sierra foothills have been turning up a  bounty of rewards for my wife, Sarah, and me.  This was proven on our recent drive from Watsonville to Sacramento...

WATSONVILLE—More than 100 people convened on Zoom on June 18 for the grand opening of a new center dedicated to women in business. The El Pájaro Community Development Corporation (El Pájaro CDC) has launched a Regional Women’s Business Center (RWBC) in Watsonville, with plans to...