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December 5, 2025

Victims in Saturday night Watsonville shootings identified

Watsonville shooting
WATSONVILLE—The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office released the names of the two men who were shot and killed on Saturday in Watsonville in separate shooting incidents. The first victim, who was shot near Marchant and E. Front streets around 5:30pm, has been identified as Rafael Salcedo,...

Watsonville man dies in rollover crash on Riverside Road

watsonville crash
WATSONVILLE—A 33-year-old Watsonville man died in a solo-vehicle crash just before midnight Tuesday on Riverside Road, or Highway 129. California Highway Patrol officer Sam Courtney said the victim was driving a 1999 Lexus west on Riverside Road south of Lakeview Road with a 44-year-old female...

Man, woman found dead outside Rodeway Inn

WATSONVILLE—A man and woman were found dead inside a van parked in the parking lot of the Rodeway Inn in Watsonville on Tuesday afternoon. Watsonville Police Department Sgt. Juan Trujillo said police were dispatched to the Rodeway Inn on West Beach Street near Highway 1...

Three men arrested after graffiti spree in downtown Watsonville

Richard Betancourt Javier Alvarado Juan Bautista graffiti arrested
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...

Watsonville man shot in attempted homicide

WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville man was shot early Monday morning in front of a home on the 100 block of Paseo Drive in Watsonville. Watsonville Police Sgt. Brian Fulgoni said police received a call around 2am about some form of disturbance. Around that time police also received...

Esperanza Community Farms receives $50k grant

Since 2017, Esperanza Community Farms in Watsonville has provided affordable organic produce to hundreds of local families, while aiming to promote healthy eating, sustainability and economic justice.  And now, thanks to a $50,000 grant from the No Kid Hungry Centering Equity Fund, Esperanza has linked...

1993 mural gets new life, larger footprint

yermo aranda
WATSONVILLE—Work began over the weekend on a major restoration of a long-standing outdoor mural at the La Manzana center. Muralist Guillermo “Yermo” Aranda, who is the creative drive behind scores of murals around Santa Cruz County, Salinas and San Diego, said it was time to...

Premiere Raspberries closing, laying off hundreds

Premiere Raspberries
WATSONVILLE—While some will be celebrating the birthday of activist and labor leader Cesar Chavez on March 31, a major raspberry grower in Watsonville will close its doors, and hundreds of employees will be laid off. A representative at Premiere Raspberries, LLC confirmed the closure Thursday...

District 4 Dairy Princess, alternates crowned

Ellie Dyt knows a lot more about the California Dairy Industry than most seventeen-year-old high schoolers. Dyt was raised on a dairy farm her whole life in the small town of Crows Landing, home to thousands of dairy cows, gaining first-hand experience by working there...

Four Covid-19 ‘clusters’ found in Watsonville

Watsonville coronavirus
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was updated from a previous version first published on May 22. WATSONVILLE—Four ‘clusters’ of Covid-19 cases have been identified in the Watsonville area, all of them associated with large family gatherings, according to Santa Cruz County officials. There have been at least...
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48th Annual Heritage Holiday Craft & Gift Fair opens Friday

The 48th Annual Heritage Holiday Craft & Gift Fair will run Friday and Saturday at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.  This year the event will...