News

WATSONVILLE—The entire kindergarten class of Starlight Elementary School will be sporting new sneakers come the start of the New Year, thanks to the efforts of a high school student at Mountain View High School. Bridget Stuebner said she learned of a previous shoe give-away from...

For eight years, students at Pajaro Valley High School have gathered in the quad for National Coming Out Day, adorning themselves in rainbow-themed attire and, occasionally, taking one of the biggest steps of their lives.

Today marks the start of week two of the shelter-in-place order in Santa Cruz County—the order by health officials to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, or COVID-19. Here's a round-up of a few important issues: • There is a coronavirus phone hotline in...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Community Redistricting Advisory Committee is closing in on its final recommendations to the Watsonville City Council for how the city’s district lines should be redrawn. Every decade following the release of census data, jurisdictions must adjust their district lines to account for possible...

Since the County of Santa Cruz issued a shelter-in-place order March 17, local artists have faced uncertain futures. With venues and schools closed and events either canceled or postponed, individuals and organizations are now out of work and struggling to get by.  According to Arts Council...

Emergency officials pull the driver out of a Honda Civic on Hecker Pass Tuesday. The California Highway Patrol said the male driver and a male passenger were traveling east on Hecker Pass Road (Hwy 152) at 2:45pm when the driver lost control. The Honda...

WATSONVILLE—After 33 years behind the wheel of the Toys For Tots program in the Pajaro Valley, coordinator and co-founder of the Santa Cruz County chapter, Delilah Valadez, handed out her final batch of toys on Dec. 4. Although Toys For Tots will continue, Valadez says...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Mónica Morales was 2 years old when her family immigrated from Mexico to Watsonville. She grew up attending local elementary schools, graduating from Watsonville High School while her mother worked in nearby agriculture fields and canneries. This background, she said, is sure to...

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...

WATSONVILLE—A 21-year-old man died Sunday night after he was shot near Coward and Carlton roads, a rural area in the outskirts of Watsonville. The victim has been identified as Abel Ruiz. According to Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Sgt. Dan Robbins, a passerby saw a man who...