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Watsonville
October 19, 2025

Renaissance High celebrates commencement

Hundreds of people, toting festive balloons and armloads of flowers, showed up for the commencement ceremony for Renaissance High School on June 2.  Led into the Mello Center by their principal, Deanna Young, the line of 61 seniors filled up the first three rows...

Levee rebuild gets final approval

pajaro levee
WATSONVILLE—After decades of efforts by local, state and federal officials, plans to rebuild the Pajaro River Levee can now move forward after voters in Watsonville approved an assessment on their annual property tax bills that will pay for the maintenance and operations costs. The Pajaro...

Measure D fails in a landslide

rail trail
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Measure D–which was hailed by many as a way to get Santa Cruz County residents out of their vehicles, off the roads and onto a bike-pedestrian path that replaced the rail line–was dealt a crushing blow Tuesday when it went down in...

Photo: Japanese culture in focus

A dance group, Ohtori Kinsen-Kai, prepare to perform a traditional dance from Okinawa Saturday at the 33rd annual Japanese Cultural Fair in Santa Cruz. The free event showcased live music, dance, martial arts, crafts, food and more.

Caps and gowns at New School

Taking advantage of the sprawling athletic field of Landmark Elementary School that adjoins the tiny campus of New School, 25 graduates filed onto the lawn on the first day of June to fetch their high school diplomas. “It’s a good feeling, to realize all the...

PV Pride welcomes new leaders

June is Pride Month, a time dedicated to honoring and achieving equal justice and opportunity for LGBTQ+ Americans. It is an observance of the Stonewall riots in 1969, but also a celebration, with cities across the country hosting marches, parades and other events. Santa Cruz...

AIDS/LifeCycle passes through Watsonville

WATSONVILLE—Through bustling cities, along coastal roads and past vast agricultural fields, thousands of bicyclists are riding from San Francisco to Los Angeles, an annual 545-mile ride started in 1994 to raise money for HIV/AIDS prevention  and care programs. It is the world’s largest annual HIV/AIDS...

More than two-thirds against Measure D in early results

rail trail
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...

Dutra leading District 4 supervisor race

Jimmy Dutra
Early returns late Tuesday night show Jimmy Dutra ahead of his two opponents, with 47% of the vote, while Felipe Hernandez trails with 34% in the race for the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors District 4 seat. Ed Acosta, meanwhile, is in third with...

Update: Hours-long standoff ends on Kilburn Street

kilburn street watsonville police standoff
WATSONVILLE—A four-and-a-half-hour standoff between police and a man that was possibly armed with guns ended peacefully Tuesday afternoon on Kilburn Street. According to Watsonville Police spokesperson Michelle Pulido, officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Kilburn Street for a report of a man yelling...
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Thousands attend No Kings rallies

Thousands of people crowded into Watsonville Plaza and surrounding streets Saturday as part of the nationwide No Kings protest against President Trump, his administration...