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Watsonville
March 25, 2026

Red Cross Heroes announced

On June 16, 15-year-old Watsonville resident Reese Selck will be among 11 community members who will be honored by the American Red Cross of the Central Coast during the 12th Annual Heroes Breakfast.

Iconic Santa Cruz florist expands into East Lake Village

Ferrari Florist Brian Marilyn Piazza
WATSONVILLE—On Dec. 1, the East Lake Shopping Center in Watsonville welcomed its newest addition. Ferrari Florist, located at 928 East Lake Ave., is now the third store for the 74-year-old business in Santa Cruz County.  Five years ago, Brian and Marilyn Piazza noticed that a...

Coroner: Former Santa Cruz neurosurgeon severed artery in jail suicide

SANTA CRUZ—The former neurosurgeon accused of molesting multiple children committed suicide by slicing into his femoral artery on his left groin, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Ashley Keehn announced Wednesday. James Kohut, 59, was found dead in his cell early in the morning on Oct....

Armed man robs pizza shop

A man armed with a handgun robbed a pizza shop Saturday morning.

New program connects older adults

Watsonville seniors
WATSONVILLE—Elderday Adult Day Health Care, a program of local nonprofit Community Bridges, has for years aimed to empower seniors to live at home with independence and dignity.  But after Covid-19 hit and shelter-in-place orders went into effect, Elderday was forced to close. In the following...

Osmundson bids farewell to PVUSD board

Karen Osmundson
WATSONVILLE—Dec. 16 marked the final meeting for Pajaro Valley Unified School District Trustee Karen Osmundson, who served on the board since 2004. During a meeting on Dec. 9, Osmundson received resolutions from California Assemblymember Robert Rivas, as well as the Watsonville City Council and the...

Watsonville High community reeling from 4 recent, sudden deaths

Abel Mejia, Ruben Mejia, Bill Callahan Federico Castañeda
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville High School community is reeling from the loss of four staff members that occurred over the past nine months. History and economics teacher Abel Mejia died on Sept. 16, and his brother Ruben Mejia, a biology teacher, died on Sept. 5.  Their deaths came after...

Local museums, galleries hold steady during pandemic

In late July, the New York Times published an article which revealed an alarming statistic: About 16% of museums and galleries in the U.S. are at risk to close permanently because of Covid-19. Immediately after, the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH) began...

Boards, councils prep for return to in-person meetings

santa cruz county in-person meetings
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—After more than a year of meetings held remotely under Covid-19 restrictions, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees plans to resume in-person meetings on June 9, the district confirmed. “We recognize that public meetings are a vital part of representative...

Esperanza del Valle celebrates 45 years

Forty five years of performances, instruction and celebration of Mexican folkloric dance culture was splashed across the Crocker Theater stage at Cabrillo College in three electrifying performances by Watsonville’s Esperanza del Valle on April 4, 5 and 6 in Aptos. The nearly three-hour program, “Espirítu...
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Deputies: Man drove stolen car to face charges for stealing a...

A man was arrested Tuesday for driving a stolen car to the Monterey County Superior Courthouse in Salinas, where he was scheduled to appear...