Watsonville Strawberry Festival returns Aug. 4-6 to downtown
The community is gearing up for the Watsonville Strawberry Festival 2023, a beloved annual event that celebrates the region's rich agricultural heritage. This year’s festival promises to be a delightful extravaganza, with a special focus on showcasing local arts and crafts vendors, a Berry...
County lifts indoor mask mandate as Covid-19 cases fall
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Vaccinated individuals are no longer required to wear masks in some indoor public spaces around Santa Cruz County after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday morning moved the county into a lower tier within its community transmission tracker.
Santa...
Hampton Inn & Suites begins taking shape
The 112-room business, being built by Elite Development Inc. between Beach Road and Riverside Drive, has now reached the insulation, electrical and plumbing phase, said co-owner Juggy Tut. Barring any unexpected hurdles, Tut said he hopes to see the place up and running by the end of the year or in early January. Roof work is slated to be completed in December.
Two large Watsonville housing projects floundering
WATSONVILLE—A pair of large housing developments in Watsonville—responsible for 237 units combined—are stuck in limbo.
Hillcrest Estates, formerly Sunshine Vista, and Pacific Sunshine Garden have run into unexpected snags over the past months that have created serious doubts as to whether either will be completed.
The...
PVUSD touts growth in literacy, mathematics
WATSONVILLE—In the past two years, Pajaro Valley Unified School District students have shown growth in state assessments in English and Math, placing just below the national average.
The district’s third, fourth and fifth-graders showed double-digit growth in their English language arts tests, while fourth and...
Pregnant woman ID’d in fatal crash
WATSONVILLE—A 33-year-old pregnant woman died Thursday night as she walked across South Green Valley Road and was struck by a car.
She has been identified as Marlyn Uribe of Watsonville by the Santa Cruz County Coroner’s Office.
Watsonville Police said that, according to witnesses, Uribe was...
‘Steady’ coach Gene Johnson dies
WATSONVILLE–Gene Johnson, who coached nearly six decades in Santa Cruz County, died Jan. 14, two days shy of his 95th birthday.
He spent the last year and a half at Valley Convalescent Hospital in Watsonville with his wife, Doris, where they celebrated their 73rd anniversary...
Work on E. Lake Ave./Holohan Rd. intersection expected to wrap up in July
Work continues on roadway and signal improvements at the intersection of Holohan Road and East Lake Avenue (Hwy 152).
The job is part of a $4.3 million project that will rearrange the heavily traveled intersection, including a left-turn lane and a merge lane from...
