News

WATSONVILLE—The sale of Watsonville Community Hospital to a nonprofit that would bring local leadership to the 127-year-old institution after two decades of corporate ownership is entering its final stretch, with roughly $6 million still needed to close the deal. In a meeting on Aug. 4,...

The annual Watsonville Strawberry Festival returned to its three-day format from Aug. 5-7.

SANTA CRUZ—A 24-year-old woman died early Thursday morning when she was struck by a vehicle as she and her 4-year-old daughter crossed Highway 1 in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz Police Department spokeswoman Joyce Blaschke said the woman was crossing Highway 1 at River Street around...

WATSONVILLE—Hundreds of cars passed through Watsonville Community Hospital’s (WCH) parking lot Thursday for an annual event aiming to promote breastfeeding. World Breastfeeding Week, held this year Aug. 1-7, was started in 1992 to generate public awareness and support for breastfeeding. WCH has for years observed...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—There are many things that Santa Cruz County residents can boast about the place they live, including the astounding natural beauty and proximity to the coast. But there is one aspect that will likely not be found on a tourism brochure, and will...

WATSONVILLE—Work is slated to wrap up this week on an underground sewer line on Freedom Boulevard on the north side of the city. The project, which got underway last week near the intersection of Buena Vista Drive and Compton Terrace at Freedom Boulevard, calls for...

WATSONVILLE—Armed with grabbers, cans, garbage bags and gloves, more than 25 volunteers gathered at Murphy Crossing Road early on July 29 for a community cleanup of a portion of the Pajaro River on the outskirts of Watsonville. The volunteers picked up plastic, cans, bottles, mattresses,...

SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission on Thursday unanimously agreed to release a request for proposals (RFP) for an engineering study of the county’s rail line, the first step in what will be a multiple-year project to establish a passenger rail system. The...

APTOS—Aptos High School’s new principal began her career in education during a stint in the Peace Corps, where in a small mountaintop village in Ethiopia she upended the school’s boys-in-the-front, girls-in-the-back paradigm and learned the influence a good educator can have. “I fell in love...

WATSONVILLE—Earlier this year, Santa Cruz County was presented with the challenging task of raising $67 million to purchase and subsequently save Watsonville Community Hospital (WCH). Since the February 2022 formation of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District (PVHCD)—an organization aiming to advocate for community-led, nonprofit...