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Watsonville
April 21, 2026

Heat wave will be tempered by coastal marine layer, meteorologists say

heat wave
CENTRAL COAST—The heat wave expected to bake the inland parts of the Bay Area with temperatures as high as 110 degrees will largely miss Monterey Bay, thanks to the marine layer for which Santa Cruz County is known. National Weather Service meteorologist Gerry Diaz says...

Santa Cruz police seeking ‘Winnie the Pooh Bandit’

Santa cruz police
SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz Police Department is asking for the community’s help in identifying a suspect who wore a distinctive Winnie the Pooh sweatshirt while allegedly committing a burglary at the Costco store in Santa Cruz in March. In addition, the man is wanted for...

Local water agency works toward long-term drought solutions

  In 1983, a group of local farmers looking for ways to manage the Pajaro Valley’s groundwater basin formed the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency (PVWMA). A year later, the agency was officially recognized by the state legislature, who tasked them to stop groundwater overdraft...

City readies for renewed negotiations with PV Arts for Porter Building

Porter Building
WATSONVILLE—The city of Watsonville is expected to resume negotiations with the Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) Council for the sale of the Porter Building after no affordable housing developers showed serious interest in the historic landmark. Watsonville and PVA earlier this year had begun early discussions...

One dies, several injured in multi-vehicle Pajaro crash

PAJARO—One person was killed early Sunday morning when a suspected drunk driver crashed head-on into their vehicle in Pajaro, California Highway Patrol officer Jessica Madueño said. Officers say the suspect, identified as Israel Cruz, 47, was driving east in a Toyota pickup on Hall Road...

A timeline of the coronavirus in California

At midnight, it became official: California is open. Of course, the coronavirus pandemic isn’t over, and life isn’t back to the way it was before most of us had heard of the mysterious, deadly illness we now call Covid-19. But the lifting of nearly all of...

Community Foundation awards over $300,000 in scholarships

community foundation
The Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County is honoring the achievements of 32 students with $308,450 in scholarships, funded by a number of local donors. Donors ranged from everyone from the Henry Cowell family to individual donors inspired by the ongoing Black Lives Matter...

South County vaccinations lagging as state readies to remove restrictions

covid-19 vaccine santa cruz county
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Masks, capacity limits and several other mandates imposed by the state to slow the spread of Covid-19 will all become a thing of the past on Tuesday. And while Santa Cruz County health officials in their first press conference since May called...

Photo: RedBall rolls through Watsonville

redball project
The RedBall Project, a global public art installation that has been to more than 30 cities since 2001, visits the Cabrillo College Watsonville Center Friday. The display is in celebration of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History’s 25th anniversary. The 15-foot blow-up...

Earthquake rumbles through Central Coast

CENTRAL COAST—A 3.3 magnitude earthquake rumbled through the Central Coast early Friday, shaking some from their sleep. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the temblor struck at 3:35am roughly 2.5 miles north-northwest of Aromas and about 7 miles east of Watsonville. The USGS said there were...
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Public defenders plan April 23 protest over caseloads, funding gaps

Public defenders in Santa Cruz County will join colleagues across California and the nation April 23 in a coordinated protest highlighting what they describe...