News

A jury on Tuesday found that Watsonville City Councilman Jimmy Dutra committed sexual battery and lewd and lascivious acts on a minor in his Los Angeles apartment 19 years ago. The jury also found that Dutra is liable for damages from the emotional and mental...

WATSONVILLE — Watsonville Police have arrested two men who allegedly burglarized a jewelry store, minutes after the same store was burglarized by a different suspect. Jorge Garcia, 29, was arrested less than 24 hours after stealing from Fatima’s Fine Jewelry on the 300 block of Main...

Above: American flags line a large swath of Freedom Boulevard Monday for Memorial Day. A crew headed up by VFW Post 1716 of Watsonville took on the task of flying hundreds of coffin flags between the Veterans of Foreign Wars Building on Freedom Boulevard...

SCOTTS VALLEY—The CZU August Lightning Complex fire has destroyed 1,490 structures as of Thursday, making it the ninth-most destructive fire ever recorded in the state. According to Cal Fire, 925 of those structures are single-family homes. Most of those homes once stood in the Santa...

APTOS—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies shot a man late Tuesday in Aptos after he allegedly fired a gun at them during a car stop, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Ashley Keehn said. Eli Burry, 40, of Soquel, is facing charges for weapons violations and violent felonies. According to...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Police Department will help conduct 10 community listening sessions and the city will create a police oversight committee in hopes of increasing community trust and accountability in local law enforcement, Chief of Police David Honda announced during Tuesday afternoon’s Watsonville City Council...

The group Banda S7 treats the crowd to live Banda music Sunday in downtown Watsonville during a celebration of Mexican Independence Day.

AROMAS—The community of Aromas is home to about 2,650 residents. The rural area is nestled in the juncture between Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties, and attracts a variety of people, including many retirees, artists, farmers, nature lovers and activists.  But is also home...

In the wake of a May 25 burglary at his Watsonville cannabis dispensary, Bryce Berryessa installed several new features designed to deter similar crimes from occurring again. According to Watsonville Police Department, 12 armed suspects used an SUV to ram and break open the dispensary’s...