News

WATSONVILLE—On Tuesday morning, author, documentary filmmaker and Portuguese National Television correspondent Nelson Ponta-Garça was busy setting up a video camera in the Watsonville City Council Chambers.  He was there to interview Watsonville Mayor Jimmy Dutra for a special segment about Portuguese communities in California. The...

WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville High School junior with a bright future in professional landscaping has earned top honors for his intimate knowledge of turfgrass management. Juan Herrera, 17, works for Watsonville-based K&D Landscaping as a turfgrass expert and manager.  A member of the Watsonville FFA chapter, Herrera is...

A sense of normalcy returned to Santa Cruz County last week as the local high schools kicked off the cross country season. Watsonville High School squared off against Harbor High School on Feb. 18 in Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League competition, which was the...

The Rountree Rehabilitation and Re-Entry Facility project is almost complete. The project started in 2016 and county officials expect it to open in early 2018.

An Aptos man was arrested on March 21 for several sex crimes involving minors. Kevin Hurley, 67, was charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a child and dissuading a victim or witness, among other charges. He faces a life sentence if convicted. Hurley was not in...

CAPITOLA—A man and woman suffered major injuries in a solo-vehicle crash Sunday evening in Capitola. Capitola Police Detective Sgt. Cliff Sloma said the crash occurred at 5:11 p.m. on the 600 block on Park Avenue. Their car reportedly struck a tree and caught on fire. The...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved a proposal to lay off as many as 24 classified employees, a move district officials say was necessary due to declining enrollment. Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez told the board that the district has lost...

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday will consider approving a contract for former Watsonville High School Principal Murry Schekman to be interim superintendent while the district looks for a permanent one. In addition to WHS, Schekman served as principal at...

Various agencies respond at Gomez Gasoline

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Chief of Police David Honda will retire in July after serving five years as the city’s highest-ranking law enforcement official, he announced Thursday morning. In a statement through the department’s social media, Honda said his time with Watsonville Police Department was a “privilege and...