New tattoo shop breaks through city’s strict restrictions on the art
WATSONVILLE—After spending more than a decade as a tattoo artist in Silicon Valley, Pepe Nunez has returned home.
Classic Calavera Tattoo is set to open soon in a location near the intersection of Freedom Boulevard and Green Valley Road that previously housed a bike shop.
Even...
Tire thieves strike neighborhoods
Residents of the Martinelli Street area of Watsonville have reported a rash of tire thefts over the past few weeks.
Two pedestrians struck in Seabright area, one dies
Editor's note: This story was updated from an earlier version.
SANTA CRUZ—The woman who was killed in a solo-vehicle crash in the Seabright area Monday has been identified as Allison Endert, who has been involved in local government for decades.
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty...
State seized enough fentanyl to potentially kill North America, twice
CALIFORNIA—In 2022, authorities in California say they seized 28,765 pounds of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.
The Department of Drug Enforcement said it is enough to kill hundreds of millions of...
New DNA lab will save money, expedite cases
For years, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office’s sciences lab has been analyzing crime scene evidence: data from cell phones and computers, tire tread marks and fingerprints, just to name a few.
But analyzing DNA evidence—a field that takes not only a science background and...
Second Harvest hosts annual benefit dinner
Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County hosted it’s annual Chefs’ Dinner on Sept. 12, raising enough money for more than 800,000 meals for its Food For Children program.
PVUSD bans balloons, creates ‘Green Team’ to address environmental concerns
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved a trio of resolutions geared to guide PVUSD’s environmental policies, including banning the use of balloons districtwide and creating a “Green Team” that will further shape practices.
Wednesday’s discussion came after two student-led...
Royal Oaks woman dies in rollover crash
PAJARO—A 30-year-old Royal Oaks woman died in a two-vehicle crash in Pajaro Wednesday.
California Highway Patrol spokeswoman Jessica Madueño said the woman, who has not been named, was traveling eastbound on San Juan Road at 12:47 p.m. while passing unsafely through a two-way turn section...
More than two-thirds against Measure D in early results
Measure D appeared to be failing soon after the polls closed Tuesday night, with 68% of voters opposing it.
As of 8:20pm, 15,704 of the 22,966 votes counted were against the measure.
Also called the “Santa Cruz County Greenway Initiative,” this measure would change the county’s...
Watsonville city manager interviews set for March 22
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council in a Monday night special closed session meeting reviewed candidates for the city’s vacant city manager position.
Watsonville City Attorney Samantha Zutler on Tuesday morning said that the council took no action on the item, the lone topic on the meeting’s...





















