Mayor casts lone ‘no’ vote in agreement for affordable housing project
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council approved an agreement with the County of Santa Cruz on a proposed 80-unit affordable apartment complex that, if approved by the county supervisors, would break ground in early 2022.
MidPen Housing, a nonprofit developer, is leading the project between Atkinson Lane...
WHS Drama returns to the stage
The Watsonville High School (WHS) Drama Department had been preparing for a production of the musical “Matilda” in March 2020 when everything was shut down by the pandemic.
For three semesters, students were unable to return to the stage for performances, instead taking acting, tech...
School dedicates wing to celebrated former educator
WATSONVILLE—A group of local educators, community leaders, elected officials and family members were among more than two-dozen people who gathered Tuesday at Watsonville Aptos Santa Cruz Adult Education, as the school dedicated a wing of its facility to Rhea DeHart.
Also present at the gathering...
Sunday forum will discuss pesticide alternatives | News Briefs
The Campaign for Organic & Regenerative Agriculture (CORA) is organizing a forum about alternatives to pesticides. CORA is a grassroots organization of residents living in Pajaro Valley and Monterey Bay, dedicated to creating a more environmentally friendly agriculture system.
Speakers at the forum will discuss...
Santa Cruz REI opens doors Friday
SANTA CRUZ—With a short welcoming greeting to a small crowd gathered outside Santa Cruz’s new REI store Wednesday evening, manager John Davis opened the doors for the first time, allowing employees’ friends and family a peek before the store opens Friday.
An abbreviation of Recreational...
Photos: Watsonville’s Veterans Day parade returns
The annual Veterans Day parade returned this year after being canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. About three dozen local veterans marched down Main Street and up Beach Street to the Mello Center for a celebration of their service in the armed forces.
Scotts Valley mayor asks for city to be ‘reunified’ in upcoming redistricting
A decade after Scotts Valley was split in two by redistricting, that city could be “reunified” under a proposal introduced to the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Tuesday.
The proposal is among several recommendations the board is considering as the county redraws its supervisorial...
Photo: Lighting up the Plaza
A crew from Watsonville Public Works joins forces with a team from the Christmas Light Pros in dressing the Watsonville City Plaza with lights and other decorations in preparation for the annual Holiday Tree Lighting.
A live 28-foot tree is the centerpiece of the...
New book chronicles history of the local lumber industry
It was a moment of sheer luck that historian and author Derek R. Whaley, while doing research for his own book, discovered the work of the late Ronald G. Powell.
Whaley owns local publishing company Zayante Publishing and is the author of the Santa Cruz...
SCPD: man stole bike from child
SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz Police on Tuesday arrested a man who they say stole a bicycle from a 10-year-old girl as she rode home from school with her friends the day before.
Jordan Howard, 33, listed as transient, was charged with robbery and false imprisonment. He...
Environment Commission to host battery storage public workshops
The Santa Cruz County Commission on the Environment (CoE) is convening a series of public technical workshops to examine the role and risks of...