El Pájaro CDC’s Regional Women’s Business Center officially opens
WATSONVILLE—More than 100 people convened on Zoom on June 18 for the grand opening of a new center dedicated to women in business.
The El Pájaro Community Development Corporation (El Pájaro CDC) has launched a Regional Women’s Business Center (RWBC) in Watsonville, with plans to...
Motorcyclist seriously injured in crash
WATSONVILLE—A man was seriously injured Saturday afternoon when his motorcycle plowed into a jeep SUV on Harkins Slough Road in Watsonville.
Watsonville Police Sgt. Mike Ridgway said the man was riding a Suzuki motorcycle southbound on Harkins Slough road around 3:30pm. A man driving a...
Firefighters battling Big Sur blaze
A wildland fire southeast of Big Sur in Los Padres National Forest that has charred around 200 acres in steep, rugged terrain has led to mandatory evacuations.
‘A lifetime commitment’: Father, son leaders in fire, police departments
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Fire Chief Rudy Lopez still remembers the day he and his son, Watsonville Police Sgt. Rudy Lopez Jr., responded to an emergency call together—a vehicle collision at Main Street and Green Valley Road.
“My emotions overcame me,” Lopez Sr. said. “I was very touched.”
After...
Police spending in Watsonville’s proposed budget draws criticism
WATSONVILLE—Over the next two years, the city of Watsonville plans to invest roughly $7.5 million to give Sotomayor Soccer Field at Ramsay Park a complete makeover and get several other projects at the city’s largest park “shovel ready.”
It also hopes to increase the funding...
New PV Arts exhibit features local artists
WATSONVILLE—For the past year, a group of five local artists has held a series of virtual pop-up art sessions, where participants learned about the artists’ process and were given guidance on how to create their own work.
Now, Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) is displaying the...
Kmart in Watsonville closing doors in August
WATSONVILLE—The Kmart store at 1702 Freedom Blvd. in Watsonville will permanently close its doors on Aug. 22, the company announced through a publicity agency on Tuesday.
The store will begin to wrap up business beginning Thursday.
The announcement did not contain any further information. Transformco, the...
E.A. Hall field renovation moves ahead
WATSONVILLE—After years of playing sports on an aging field pitted by gopher holes and rutted by time, students at E.A. Hall Middle School will soon get a new playing field.
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on June 9 approved hiring a...
Local author pens novel inspired by late friend
WATSONVILLE—Two months before the pandemic, a friend of author Linda Gunther died. She had known the man, Bill Mowatt, through the classes she taught on self-publishing at Cabrillo College. He was a fan of her work and expressed interest in writing his own mystery...
Pajaro Levee mile markers now in place
WATSONVILLE—A locally brewed project of painting mile markers along the Pajaro River and Salsipuedes Creek levee system came to fruition Wednesday.
Buoyed by a large pack of community members, Watsonville City Councilmember Ari Parker, Santa Cruz County Supervisor Greg Caput, city and county workers and...
Annieglass celebrates solar installation
One year ago, Watsonville’s Annieglass installed 249 solar panels on the factory’s roof, a 16,000-square-foot project that has reduced the company’s annual electricity bill...