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Watsonville
November 8, 2025

‘Tiny Village’ project kicks off, to open in November

Monterey County officials this week broke ground on a “tiny village” project that was delayed for months after neighbors raised concerns and twice appealed to the city of Watsonville. The 34 small dwellings were intended to give homeless residents living along the Pajaro River a...

Six years of Fruition

Crowds were thick over the weekend at Fruition Brewing & Kitchen during their six-year anniversary in the East Lake Village Shopping Center. Fruition has claimed a list of awards and accolades, including the Silver Medal for their ‘Slip’ Pilsner and a Bronze Medal for...

Hundreds get free backpacks

More than 400 area students were given a running start for the upcoming school year when they were presented with free backpacks loaded with school supplies Saturday in an upbeat gathering in Watsonville Plaza.  Thanks to the Salvation Army in Watsonville, Freedom Rotary Club, Scouting...

Talks continue on Battery Energy Storage Systems

About 150 people gathered in Santa Cruz July 17, for a third meeting held over the past few months to send the message that proposed Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in Watsonville, Aptos and Santa Cruz are not welcome. “These folks are pursuing these systems...

Portola Heights fire being investigated as attempted murder

An early-morning fire that broke out at a mobile home in the Portola Heights Mobile Home Park on Freedom Boulevard Tuesday is being investigated as an attempted murder. Duane Hawkins, 65, arrived at the home and started the fire following an argument, Watsonville Police spokeswoman...

Three injured in mobile home fire

Three people were injured Tuesday morning when a fire broke out at a mobile home in the Portola Heights Mobile Home park on Freedom Boulevard. The fire erupted at 7:15am in unit 25 on Cresti Way. One neighbor who used the name Erika said she ran...

Suspect arrested in Castroville homicide

A 17-year-old male was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murdering Marcelino Calixto Pastrana behind a Castroville market on June 26.  The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said a search is ongoing for a second juvenile suspect who they believe to be armed and dangerous. On July 16,...

Photo story: Hundreds gather to protest

Around 200 people gathered at Watsonville Plaza Thursday as part of a nationwide movement to protest the Trump administration’s attack on civil and human rights. Organized by Indivisible Santa Cruz County, local union groups, Black Voters Matter, and others, the “Good Trouble Lives On”...

San Juan Road operation not related to immigration

On Wednesday morning, law enforcement officials from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office, the California Department of Cannabis Control, the FBI and the DEA amassed at a business on the 1400 block of San Juan Road in Monterey County to serve a search warrant...

PVUSD trustees approve SRO program

Watsonville SRO
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved contracts with Watsonville Police Department and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office to place uniformed law enforcement officials at the district’s three comprehensive high schools as school resource officers (SROs). These SROs will...
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PVUSD to consider 150 layoffs

This story has been updated from an earlier version. Pajaro Valley Unified School District may lay off more than 150 employees to save...

Work begins on library cafe