News

WATSONVILLE—Renaissance High School brought 41 graduates to the stage at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds under mild, sunny skies on June 2. “The past 16 months has tested your tenacity—not seeing friends and teachers in person,” said Drew Singleton, a principal within the Pajaro Valley...

The annual return of the cliff swallows to the Watsonville area can be a treat for bird enthusiasts, who marvel at their ability to migrate from as far away as Argentina, and then cobble their nests from thousands of beakfuls of mud on cliffs and buildings.

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday OK’d an industrial hemp pilot program that will allow cultivators to set up shop just 1,000 feet away from Pajaro’s residential areas.

WATSONVILLE—A 26-year-old Santa Cruz County man died Saturday after he was mauled by a great white shark near Manresa State Beach.  The victim has been identified as Ben Kelly, a prominent surfboard maker and a well-known figure in the surfing community. According to California State Parks...

Note: Reporter Erin Malsbury contributed to this report. After hearing about the arrival of an extremely rare tropical bird in Santa Cruz last week, I immediately texted an out-of-state birder friend. “I’m so jealous I want to vomit,” they replied. When avid birdwatchers see a species for...

WATSONVILLE—For the first time in Pajaro Valley Unified School District history, the stadiums, athletic fields and auditoriums that traditionally fill with cheers, tears and the nostalgic strains of “Pomp and Circumstance” will stay silent this graduation season, all to be replaced by the electronic...

CORRALITOS—The 25-year-old woman who died Tuesday after an SUV struck her on the 4800 block of Freedom Boulevard has been identified as Stephanie Bell of Aptos, according to Ashley Keehn of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office.  California Highway Patrol officer Alyssa Gutierrez said a...

Although there was no Spirit of Watsonville Fourth of July parade this year, Watsonville celebrated Independence Day with the Mayor's Bike Ride and a concert from the Watsonville Community Band in downtown Watsonville.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County officials are mulling a plan to retool the county’s public defender’s office, transitioning from its current private delivery system to a public one. The move comes as the county’s contract with Biggam, Christensen and Minslof (BCM)—which has provided indigent criminal...

Water department workers with the City of Watsonville cut into the pavement on South Green Valley Road Friday morning at the start of a water main repair.