News

With the first day of winter coming on Dec. 21, the fear of drought is once again in the air.

In celebration of California Arbor Week, two new tree planting efforts are underway in Watsonville this week.

WATSONVILLE—Yocelyn Gonzalez, a senior at Pajaro Valley High School, shadowed outgoing Watsonville Mayor Francisco “Paco” Estrada and recently seated Mayor Rebecca Garcia on Wednesday after winning the Mayor for the Day essay contest earlier this month. Gonzalez followed the two leaders from 9 a.m. to...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a sweeping ban on the sale of various tobacco products. Starting in late November, the sale of flavored tobacco, e-cigarettes and vapes will be outlawed, and pharmacies operating in city limits will no longer be able to...

Watsonville Police are looking for a suspect who fled after striking a man with his vehicle early Friday morning near Auto Center Drive.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—After nearly three decades running the county’s elections department, Santa Cruz County Clerk Gail Pellerin will retire at the end of the year. Pellerin made the announcement Thursday, a little more than a week after what many are calling the most significant election...

CENTRAL COAST—Rain and hail gave the Central Coast a dash of badly needed precipitation over the past week—with a hint more rain set for this weekend—but officials are still warning of a critically dry year if rain clouds don’t rally before the start of...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Returns late Tuesday night show Santa Cruz County Supervisorial candidate Manu Koenig far outpacing John Leopold for the First District seat. If Koenig’s lead holds, it will unseat four-term incumbent Leopold. He holds roughly 56% of the 28,064 votes that have been tallied...

Today is May 5 and an important day in Mexican history: Cinco de Mayo, a holiday that celebrates the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 during the Second Franco-Mexican War. Also known as Battle of Puebla...