News

WATSONVILLE—Gerald Hunter, the former director of Watsonville Post Acute Center, announced on Oct. 19 that he has stepped down from the position. On the facility’s website, Hunter stated that Rae Ann Radford has taken the job. The announcement did not give a reason for the...

The number of COVID-19 cases has now passed 1,018,000 in the U.S. Now, 58,671 have died in the U.S. roughly equalling the number of people that died in the Vietnam War. The U.S. has four times more cases than any other country. Dr. Ashish...

Lakeside Organic Garden’s colossal new facility at 25 Sakata Lane is quickly taking shape.

Editor’s note: This is the fourth and final entry of a weekly series about the Pajaro Valley’s Japanese community. The series’ culmination coincides with this year’s celebration of the Obon Festival, a cultural and religious Japanese event honoring one’s ancestors. Read the first entry...

WATSONVILLE—Three men are facing felony vandalism charges for allegedly defacing more than a half-dozen businesses in downtown Watsonville with graffiti early Saturday. Richard Betancourt, 40, Javier Alvarado, 29, and Juan Bautista, 23, all of Watsonville, were booked into Santa Cruz County Jail on charges of...

Coastal Cleanup Day collects 7,700 pounds of debris MONTEREY BAY REGION—More than 2,000 volunteers collected more than 6,000 pounds of trash and over 1,700 pounds of recycling from 64 beaches, rivers and inland areas across Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties in Saturday’s Coastal Cleanup Day.  The annual...

WATSONVILLE—The demographics of Santa Cruz County’s novel coronavirus cases now mirror those at the state and national level, raising concerns about the county’s response to increasing numbers in Watsonville. Though cases have remained relatively low compared to other counties around the state, Watsonville and its...

"Try This" is a weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like. • Tarmo Hannula FUN: First Friday I’ve trumpeted my excitement about the monthly First Friday event in downtown Santa Cruz in this column before, but I feel a...

SACRAMENTO—Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced a plan to get meals to isolated older adults by paying the restaurant industry to prepare and deliver breakfast, lunch and dinner for them. The governor said the program was created to give a lifeline to seniors at home,...

Now a pile of rubble surrounded by a chain-link fence, the businesses that were Val TV Radio VCR Service and Tamara’s Hair Salon at 8 Porter Drive have sat dormant since a fire destroyed them in January 2017.