News

WATSONVILLE—Three students from Watsonville recently took part in a weeklong summer program in Sacramento that teaches young people to be part of their local and state governments. The program—called Boys State—is sponsored by the American Legion. The event includes such activities as mock legislative sessions...

WATSONVILLE—After months of fundraising during which organizers scraped together more than $65 million, Watsonville Community Hospital will become a now publicly owned entity as of midnight on Sept. 1. The Pajaro Valley Health Care District (PVHD) signed the paperwork on Wednesday, making the sale official. State...

WATSONVILLE—The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the City of Watsonville are on the cusp of beginning a 10-year endeavor that will completely reshape the city’s major arterial road. Caltrans has committed to a $25 million renovation of its roughly seven-mile thoroughfare of Highway 152...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The County of Santa Cruz will hold a public meeting to collect input on establishing an Independent Sheriff’s Auditor (ISA), a position the County says will provide oversight into the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.  The meeting will take place Tuesday, Aug. 30,...

SANTA CRUZ—The man who slaughtered Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller during a violent crime spree two years ago was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.  Steven Carrillo, 34, also received prison time for attempting to kill four other...

Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) has had a busy week. Not only have they opened a new exhibit at their gallery on Sudden Street, they also held their first event at the Porter Building, which the organization took ownership of Aug. 1. When the City of...

WATSONVILLE—With the purchase of Watsonville Community Hospital now a certainty, the nonprofit formed to make the acquisition got another bit of good news Tuesday when Kaiser Permanente announced it was donating $4.5 million to the cause. With a goal of $67 million to cover the...

WATSONVILLE—Two dozen bicyclists rolled into Watsonville Monday on the second stop of the annual Fire Velo bike ride. Their week-long journey started in Sausalito and ends in Los Angeles. Fire Velo is a national cycling organization that promotes physical and mental wellness in the fire...

Few people may be aware, but Watsonville once had its own currency. From circa 1902 through 1929 there were $5 and $10 bills with the words “Pajaro Valley National Bank of Watsonville” printed on them. “I have bought them in the past, but not so much...

A large mosaic sculpture, created by local artists Kathleen Crocetti and Monica Galvan to memorialize victims of Covid 19 now stands in a field near upper Struve Slough. On Saturday and Sunday from 2-6pm each day, community members who have lost someone to Covid...