Obon Festival set for Sunday
The public tests their rhythmic skills alongside members of Watsonville Taiko during the annual Obon Festival in 2025 at the Watsonville Buddhist Temple. The annual event is scheduled for Sunday at noon at 423 Bridge St. The free event includes entertainment, a vendor’s market,...
Fourth suspect caught in June 11 stabbing
A June 11 stabbing in Watsonville that left a man injured has now led to a fourth arrest after the investigation led detectives into Arizona.
The attack happened on June 11 at the 7-Eleven on the 200 block of East Lake Avenue, where a 46-year-old...
Offering a new hope
Gisselle Padilla spent much of her childhood translating for her parents, who worked in the strawberry fields after immigrating from Mexico.
Years later, she found herself advocating for her own son during Individualized Education Program meetings, frustrated that she often felt unheard and unable to...
Work begins on Lee Road Trail
Work has started on a lengthy trail for pedestrians and bicyclists along sections of Harkins Slough and Lee roads near Pajaro Valley High School.
Watsonville Principal Patrice Theriot said the City contracted Monterey Peninsula Engineering to construct Phase 1 of the “Lee Road Trail” project.
Designed...
Protestors oppose ICE facility in Gilroy
People in six counties around the Bay Area and Watsonville came out on July 3 to voice their disapproval of a federal plan by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to build immigration detention facilities in Gilroy and Dublin.
A crowd of around 20 people...
Students take to the skies with drones
Recent Watsonville High graduate Azucena Sandoval spent much of her education learning the fundamentals of science she will study this fall at Stanford University.
But she rarely got to put those concepts into practical use. That changed in late June when she participated in SkyLab,...
City Council approves no-encampment zones
The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday gave final approval to a new camping ordinance creating designated “no-encampment zones,” allowing the city to immediately remove encampments from certain public areas without providing the standard 72-hour notice.
The vote marked the ordinance’s second reading, making it final.
The...
Missing 12-year-old girl found
An at-risk 12-year-old girl who went missing early on the morning of July 6 has been found and is safe. Watsonville Police spokeswoman Erika Vazquez said Santa Cruz Police located her on July 7.
Willowwind Crowbear was last seen Monday morning around 1:45am on the...
County celebrates 250th
Thousands of people lines the mainstreets of Aptos and Watsonville for their annual Fourth of July parades, some staking out their roadside seats the night before. Below is a collection of images from the events.
SPIRIT OF WATSONVILLE
All Watsonville photos by Tarmo Hannula
APTOS WORLD'S SHORTEST...
Photo story: Cars and Coffee
CUSTOM WHEELS John Gimelli poses with his 1965 Buick Riviera July 11 at the weekly Cars and Coffee in East Lake Village Shopping Center....























