Local News

Observations from across the Pajaro Valley and beyond.

After working as a manager at Freedom Meat Lockers for nearly three decades, William Panis was ready to set off on his own. His new butcher shop—Willie’s Meat Market—is located at 20 Mariposa off Freedom Boulevard.  He offers a wide selection of meat, sausage and bacon,...

Anyone passing through the streets of downtown Watsonville for the next few nights may notice a crew shooting for an upcoming film. The production includes a car rigged with cameras and lights, and will take place in local restaurants and wetlands. The film is “They Know...

Watsonville Brillante, the massive, 10-phase outdoor mosaic project in Watsonville, has just been named Best in Show in the Mosaic and Glass Arts International 2023 exhibition series in Buffalo, New York.  Lead artist Kathleen Crocetti of Watsonville learned of the prestigious announcement Wednesday. “When I first...

WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville man was shot and killed Sunday afternoon in downtown Watsonville. Watsonville Police Sgt. Jarrod Pisturino  said the shooting took place around 11:16am between the 100 block of Brennan Street and the 100 block of Sudden Street in a large parking lot shared by...

MONTEREY COUNTY—School districts across the U.S. were on alert Thursday after a challenge posted on the social media application TikTok urged followers to call in shooting and bomb threats to their schools on Friday. Students at North Monterey County High School were ordered to shelter...

Wargin Wines’ Assistant Winemaker Brenton Jones says he is ready to shake up the wine industry. “When I look at the industry as a whole… it’s pretty set in its ways,” Jones says. “It gets stuck in a box—especially when you look at what breweries...

For the past four decades, people fighting cancer have gathered to strengthen that battle at the annual Relay For Life. That event unfolded Saturday at Watsonville High School, where dozens of cancer fighters and their supporters joined in a flurry of games, live music, food,...

Pajaro Valley Unified School District has suffered declining enrollment for the past two decades, due to several factors such as increasing cost of living, as well as housing and rental costs that make Santa Cruz County among the most expensive places to live in...