News

WATSONVILLE—Every year, Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) hosts an annual exhibit inspired by Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead in English), a traditional holiday in Mexico commemorating family and community members who have died. But this year, after almost two years of the Covid-19...

NOTE: Reporters Todd Guild, Johanna Miller, Tarmo Hannula and Erik Chalhoub contributed to this article. For more than two years, people have clamored for the return to “normal” after the uncertainties of a pandemic. In 2022, we got a taste of normalcy, but it was far...

WATSONVILLE—Battling the pandemic for nearly a year now has spurned a wealth of creative avenues to keep Covid-19 at bay. From crafty outdoor dining patios, equipped with heaters, sun umbrellas and all kinds of tents and landscaping, to attention-getting homemade signage, face shields and...

WATSONVILLE—In a 7-2 vote Tuesday, the Santa Cruz County Fair Board terminated Fairgrounds Manager Dave Kegebein’s employment, a decision that generated outcry from members of the public. Board Members Jody Belgard and Loretta Estrada voted no. “This is probably the darkest and most difficult day this...

WATSONVILLE—Felipe Hernandez and Ari Parker have established large leads on their respective competitors and will likely capture key political seats in South County, updated results released Wednesday by the Santa Cruz County Elections Department show. Hernandez, a former Watsonville mayor and current member of the...

UPDATED, AUG. 10: Capitola Police are investigating after someone called in a false bomb threat to New Brighton Middle School, which prompted an evacuation of all students and the cancelation of classes on the first day back from summer break. Police found no devices during a...

SAN BENITO COUNTY—A Watsonville native was sworn in as the 16th sheriff for San Benito County Friday under mild, sunny conditions in the front courtyard of the Veterans Memorial Building. Eric Taylor, a 1992 Watsonville High School graduate, accepted the position in the presence of...

SANTA CRUZ—For the purposes of this article, Maya and Sebastian Laing’s story begins on Oct. 20, when a group of strangers paid a late-night visit to their grandmother’s house where they had been staying.  After trying unsuccessfully to convince the kids to come with them...

WATSONVILLE—A line was already forming in front of 7-Eleven on Main Street before 11am on Christmas Eve as people eagerly awaited Santa Claus—and pizza. Sherry Dang and Kirk di Cicco, owners of local franchised 7-Elevens, handed out 500 free pizzas at the store, plus 200...