News

Robert “Bobby” Salazar, the unofficial mayor of Aptos who served as security guard and maintenance man for Aptos High School for more than four decades, and who was known for his ever-present smile and exhortations for everyone he met to “keep smiling,” died March 17 after a battle with cancer. He was 62.

SOQUEL—Allen Stobaugh and his wife Mary were at the tail end of a 15-day cruise to the Hawaiian Islands—and were on their way for a final stop in Ensenada, Mexico—when their trip was waylaid by the novel coronavirus. Twenty-one passengers tested positive for the coronavirus,...

WATSONVILLE—Three organic Pajaro Valley farms will be featured in the 2020 EcoFarm Conference bus tour Wednesday—and a handful of seats are still available. Participants will visit Lakeside Organic Gardens, JSM Organics and Coastal Sun Cannabis/Moon Berry Farm during the tour, which kicks off the...

APTOS—When Covid-19 began to sweep the U.S.—and brought with it an economic recession—Cabrillo College officials expected a jump in enrollment that typically comes with a battered economy. But the college is now seeing a significant drop in those numbers, which it pins on the double...

Plaza decoration begins; tree lighting set for Nov. 24 WATSONVILLE—Downtown Watsonville was bustling with activity Tuesday morning as a 30-foot Blue Spruce arrived, carefully wrapped and attached to the back of a large tow truck. Workers from Auto Care Towing meticulously attached ropes and pulleys to...

CENTRAL COAST—Monterey and Santa Cruz counties were reporting the highest Covid-19 positivity rates in the Bay Area region Friday, according to data reported by the California Department of Public Health. The positivity rate in Monterey County was 23.2%. In Santa Cruz County it was 18.5%,...

WATSONVILLE—What was anticipated to be a fight to save the city’s youth sports programs on Tuesday instead turned into a community call to slice into Watsonville Police Department’s $21 million budget in order to fund youth enrichment programs and social services. The Watsonville City Council...

CASTROVILLE—Two large signs along Merritt Street just east of Highway 1 in Castroville now mark the site where, by spring of 2022, a new education and outreach center for Hartnell College will serve students throughout North Monterey County. The signs, installed Dec. 5, are also...

WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville at a Dec. 15 public meeting will release the results of a recent survey that asked the community about its views and vision for the downtown corridor. The virtual gathering is part of the City’s Downtown Watsonville Specific Plan (DWSP) endeavor,...

The Cabrillo College Ethics Bowl Team competed against 37 teams at the national Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl in Chicago