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July 29, 2025

Man fatally struck by car following crash in Prunedale

PRUNEDALE—A man died following a two-vehicle crash on Highway 101 at Prunedale South Road early on July 16. Cmdr. Derrel Simpson of the Monterey County Sheriff/Coroner’s Office identified Daniel Lewis Castaneda, 29, of San Jose as the victim. Simpson added that Castaneda was a correctional...

What should Watsonville look like in 2040? Voters might get a say in 2022

Watsonville measure
WATSONVILLE—A group of about 25 farmers, environmentalists and community leaders gathered at the Watsonville Nature Center on July 8 to officially kick off a campaign to renew a landmark Watsonville ballot measure passed in 2002. The Committee for Planned Growth and Farmland Protection recently filed...

Cities, institutions plan countywide bike-share plan

santa cruz county bike-share
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Anyone who lived in or visited Santa Cruz in 2018-2019 most likely noticed the red electric bicycles being ridden and parked across the city. Santa Cruz had partnered with Jump Bikes, a company providing affordable short-term bike rentals for trips within city...

As California’s drought continues, experts offer water-saving tips

On July 7, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced an expansion of June’s drought emergency proclamation, adding an additional nine counties—including Santa Cruz, Monterey and Santa Clara. The water emergency continues to worsen, and right when wildfires are raging through tens of thousands of acres around the...

Watsonville sets new net-negative carbon emissions goal: 2030

Watsonville climate action
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on July 6 approved a resolution to move up its goal of reaching net-negative carbon emissions from 2045 to 2030. To reach net-negative emissions, an entity must reduce its carbon footprint to less than neutral, so that it is removing more...

Man arrested near U.S.-Mexico border prime suspect in Watsonville homicide

Watsonville homicide
WATSONVILLE—A Santa Cruz man has been arrested on suspicion of killing his reported girlfriend at an apartment complex on the 300 block of Clifford Avenue Tuesday evening. Watsonville Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said Mexican authorities near the San Luis, Ariz. border crossing to Mexico...

Monthly benefit for families with children starts Thursday

Child Tax Credit
WATSONVILLE—Congressman Jimmy Panetta visited Watsonville Monday to announce the first payments of the expanded Child Tax Credit included in President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).  Starting July 15, eligible parents will receive their first monthly payment of up to $300 per child under...

Two dispensaries receive Planning Commission approval

cannabis Watsonville city council taxes
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville will soon see its first cannabis dispensaries set up shop after two businesses received planning commission approval at Tuesday night’s virtual meeting. Berryessa Holdings, LLC and Charlie Mike, Inc. both got the green light by a unanimous vote. The former will serve customers at...

Two killed in Monterey plane crash

Monterey plan crash
MONTEREY—Two people aboard a twin-engine propellor airplane died Tuesday morning after the small aircraft slammed into a home in Monterey off of Highway 68. Eric Gutierrez, a safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, confirmed Wednesday that two people died when the Golden Eagle...

Work on Riverside-Lakeview roundabout continues

Highway 129 watsonville
WATSONVILLE—Work continues on the major redesign of the heavily-traveled intersection of Highway 129 (Riverside Road) at Lakeview Road just east of Watsonville. Caltrans spokesperson Kevin Drabinski said the project, which got underway in the spring, calls for the construction of a roundabout at the busy...
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Tsunami warning issued after Russian earthquake

Officials from the National Weather Service have issued a tsunami warning after magnitude 8.7 earthquake occurred at 4:25pm 80 miles southeast of Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka...