News

WATSONVILLE—Three new officers began their new careers with Watsonville Police Department on Aug. 16, and are now in the early stages of WPD’s 6-month field training program. Francisco Felix, Jasmine Tirado and Johnny Miranda are now riding along with experienced officers as they learn their...

Author Olga Rosales Salinas remembers clearly the folklore and myths she heard growing up in Watsonville. The Mexican legends of La Llorona and El Cucuy in particular stuck with her; stories themed around fear and often used to teach difficult lessons.  “I’ve often thought about what...

WATSONVILLE — Habitat for Humanity of Monterey Bay threw open its doors at a grand opening ceremony Thursday for the relocation of their ReStore at 555 Main St. in Watsonville.  The festive event drew community members, business people, Restore staff and area dignitaries, including Watsonville Mayor...

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...

WATSONVILLE—Starting on Oct. 1, anyone receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, known in California as CalFresh, will see a slight increase to the amount they receive each month. The changes to the federal Thrifty Food Plan comes thanks to the U.S. Department of Agriculture...

WATSONVILLE—A bust of U.S. President George Washington was removed from Watsonville Plaza on Thursday. In February Watsonville City Council voted 5-2 to move the statue to the Main Branch of the Watsonville Public Library. The decision stemmed from national social unrest during the uprising...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—With the increase of Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations due to the highly contagious Delta variant, the Santa Cruz County Health Officer is issuing a Health Order, effective Aug. 20 at 11:59pm, requiring all individuals to wear a face covering when in indoor...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY — Monday marked the one year anniversary of the CZU Lightning Complex Fires that raged through 86,509 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains, killed one man, burned close to 1,500 buildings and stacked up a tab of $2.4 billion in insured...

WATSONVILLE—On Aug. 28, Watsonville is in the Heart will host a Community Call Out event. Join organizers to share family artifacts, documents, vintage photographs and oral stories from the Manong Generation of the Pajaro Valley, to be preserved in the digital archive and a 2022...

WATSONVILLE—Veterans of Foreign Wars Freedom Post 1716, which was facing closure this month after the organization could not elect leadership, was given a last-minute reprieve Wednesday at a make-or-break meeting. The VFW, which was launched in 1929 to serve the local population of World War...