News

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville native Lou Arbanas was considered by many to be a living encyclopedia for his knowledge of the history of the Pajaro Valley. A longtime fixture at the Pajaro Valley Historical Association, Arbanas died Nov. 14 after a brief illness. He was 78. “He was...

Water department workers with the City of Watsonville cut into the pavement on South Green Valley Road Friday morning at the start of a water main repair.

The Circus has come to town, this time at Ramsay Park on Main Street in Watsonville.  Circus Royal Spectacular—out of Las Vegas—rolled into town Tuesday, and crews quickly began driving giant tent stakes into the softball diamond  to set up their mammoth bigtop tent. Circus spokesperson...

Two weeks ago, Amelia Loftus, owner of Hidden Fortress Coffee Roasting, was on the brink of closing her cafe in Watsonville just shy of its five-year anniversary. The shop, located at the end of a sleepy business complex on Hangar Way, had been struggling to...

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday is expected to announce the closure of all beaches and state parks starting Friday, multiple national news agencies reported late Wednesday night. The news comes days after Gov. Newsom expressed concern over numerous photos of people crowding beaches throughout the...

Work is underway to complete the 10th and final phase of the five-year Watsonville Brillante mosaic downtown art project that is splashed across the otherwise dull concrete walls of the six-floor parking garage on Rodriguez Street.  A ribbon-cutting street party is now set for Oct....

Watsonville firefighters respond to a small fire in the Resetar Residential Hotel on east Lake Avenue Wednesday, which forced the evacuation of dozens of residents and closed East Lake Avenue for a short time. According to Watsonville Fire Battalion Chief Corey Schaffer, the fire...

Ana Ramirez (center) and Kim DeChicchio-Sanchez line up to sample wine from Integrity Wines Saturday evening at the Evening of Wine & Roses at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. The 39th annual silent auction and fundraiser, presented by the Community Health Trust of the...

WATSONVILLE—As the aroma of sizzling meats, tortillas and salsa wafted across the parking lot of Watsonville Police Department May 11, a swarm of retired and current police officers and WPD staff gathered for a friendly send off to Sgt. Bryan Fuentez on his final...

Observations from the Pajaro Valley and beyond.