Friday night at the races
Steven Allee of Santa Cruz rolled onto the staging area at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville one Friday afternoon, ready to roar around the dirt track in his stock car against several other racers.
While the April 12 race marked the fifth year he has taken...
Students make most of time at New School | Grads 2021
WATSONVILLE—Seventeen students earned their diplomas at New School in Watsonville this year.
Principal Rafael Ramirez said he was “enormously proud” of his graduates, adding that the pandemic brought on extra challenges for staff and students.
“But they worked hard and we got through,” Ramirez said. “We’re...
Santa Cruz County health officer says mask order won’t change behavior
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Saying that she has not yet seen reliable data that a countywide masking mandate would alter personal behavior or lower Covid-19 cases, Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel said she does not plan to issue a new order any time...
County Supervisors oppose AT&T bid to end landlines
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a resolution denying a request from AT&T to be released from its requirements to provide landline services to Santa Cruz County.
While the resolution—which will be sent to the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC)—carries little...
Bill would streamline farmworker housing
A group of California lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled a bill they say will make it easier for farmers to build safe, family-friendly housing for their workers.
Man found dead from gunshot wound in Santa Cruz Mountains
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS—The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of a man on Laurel Road off of Highway 17 as a homicide.
Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Ashley Keehn said deputies on Sunday night were alerted to reports of a man with a gun...
Police: Boy threatened students, gun removed from home
An 11-year-old boy was removed from his Bayview Elementary School classroom after barricading himself there after an outburst, Santa Cruz Police spokeswoman Joyce Blaschke said Wednesday.
Watsonville teams with Caltrans on downtown road project
WATSONVILLE—Breaking from the usual modus operandi of allowing her colleagues to ask their questions and voice their concerns first, Watsonville Mayor Ari Parker started the city council’s questioning of a $25 million reimaging of downtown Watsonville’s street landscape. The people she’s talked to, the...
WPD’s top mental health advocate retires after 25 years
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police bade farewell to Master Officer Angel Calderon last week, capping his two-and-a-half decades of service.
At an informal upbeat going-away ceremony, scores of officers, staff and retirees offered plenty of words of praise and thanks—laced with a few quips about ‘where did that...
Watsonville charter school moving downtown by October
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously approved a plan to give temporary space to a new charter school as it prepares to move into its own space by October.
PVUSD Chief Business Officer Clint Rucker told the trustees that...
Letters to the Editor Dec. 5-11
Suggestions for PVUSD
My recommendations regarding the Recommended Realignments of PVUSD:
1. Regarding school closure, I have advocated for an idea to sell the District Office...






















