News

Watsonville police detain a man Saturday on West Beach Street near the City Plaza on suspicion of armed robbery. WPD Sgt. Mike Ridgway said the suspect tried to rob several businesses at knifepoint on the 500 block of Main Street around 11:30am, however, he...

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday will discuss whether former board president Georgia Acosta had the authority to use an attorney to advise the board, after she and three other members abruptly fired Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Outdoor amusement parks in California counties in the red tier of the state’s Covid-19 reopening plan will be allowed to welcome back customers next month, the California Department of Public Health announced Friday afternoon. Live outdoor sporting events and performances will, too, be...

(Pajaronian reporter Tarmo Hannula contributed to this story. — Editor) WATSONVILLE—Bill Neighbors, whose proclivity to help and to improve his community extended into nearly every aspect of Watsonville civic life—and whose lifelong career of volunteerism led him to be dubbed “Mr. Watsonville” by those who...

BOULDER CREEK—A 24-year-old Santa Cruz woman died late Thursday night in a solo-vehicle DUI crash in Boulder Creek. California Highway Patrol officer Sam Courtney said Chyanne Pilgreen, 21, of Ben Lomond was driving a 2004 Nissan Xterra northbound on Highway 9 north of Boulder Creek...

SANTA CRUZ—A 19-year-old Watsonville man pleaded no contest to charges of involuntary manslaughter Wednesday for allegedly firing a gun that killed his reported friend on S. Green Valley Road Jan. 7. Santa Cruz County Assistant District Attorney Ilia McKinney said that Ricardo Jesus Garcia could...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police Department said goodbye to one of its key officers this week, K9 Ranger. The 8-year-old German Shepherd joined Watsonville Police Department in 2014 and worked alongside his partner Officer Brian Fulgoni, combing the streets of Watsonville—and outside the area with surrounding agencies—on a...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—California Gov. Gavin Newsom at a Thursday press conference announced that 40 percent of the state’s vaccination doses will be prioritized for disadvantaged communities, a move he said was needed to address the disproportionate impact that the novel coronavirus has had on...

WATSONVILLE—For more than a decade, students at Pajaro Valley High School have had the option of an elective class that teaches them to assemble and maintain bicycles. The class was launched by Project Bike Tech, a program that started in Santa Cruz at The Bike...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) is stepping up to help battle the pandemic in offering free local transit rides to and from Covid-19 vaccination appointments in Santa Cruz County. METRO spokeswoman Danielle Glagola said riders who are interested in using METRO...