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Watsonville
January 14, 2026

Accused child molester found dead

SANTA CRUZ — The former Santa Cruz neurosurgeon who allegedly molested numerous children in crimes caught on videotape was found dead Sunday morning. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s office believes he committed suicide. James Kohut, 59, was in custody since May 2017 in lieu of $7.5...

PVUSD faces grim post-Covid-19 budget

PVUSD
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday got a first look at its budget for the coming school year, which has taken a severe hit both by declining enrollment and the loss of revenue from the Covid-19 crisis. PVUSD Chief Business...

Aptos basketball programs quarantine due to Covid-19 test results

APTOS—The Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League high school basketball season got underway last week. But the Aptos High boys and girls programs will have to wait a tad bit longer to get going after recent positive Covid-19 test results.   Aptos High Athletic Director Travis Fox...

Second Harvest activates Mobile Food Pantry in Watsonville

WATSONVILLE—Today between 1-4pm, a community outreach team from Second Harvest Food Bank (SHFB) will visit flood victims in Watsonville to see if they are in need of immediate food. The free mobile food pantry is part of Second Harvest’s response to the recent historic storms...

Senior Center hosting drive-thru ice cream giveaway

watsonville senior center
WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville on Sept. 26 will be hosting a Drive-Thru Ice Cream Social for older adults in front of the Watsonville Senior Center. The event will run from noon-3pm at 114 E. 5th St.  RSVP by calling the Older Adults Services Supervisor Katie Nuñez...

Watsonville’s Environmental Science Workshop hammers on

Environmental Science Workshop
WATSONVILLE—With the whir of a jigsaw in the background, the buzz of an electric kitchen mixer and the tapping of a hammer filling the air, Pajaro Valley’s young people were busy last week completing their projects at the Environmental Science Workshop on 2nd Street. The...

Program invests in Watsonville’s young people

WATSONVILLE — Beginning this month, babies born in Watsonville will have a small head start toward college. That’s thanks to Santa Cruz Community Ventures, which has launched Savings and Engagement for Education and Development Success, otherwise known as SEEDS. The program will launch with newborn babies from...

Community calls for Watsonville’s city council to save sports programs

watsonville city council
WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville will have to make several tough cuts to meet a projected $6.5 million budget deficit for the upcoming fiscal year.  But more than two dozen community members defending the value of youth sports programs at Tuesday’s virtual City Council meeting urged...

First flu death of the season reported in Monterey County

The Monterey County Health Department announced the death of a Monterey County resident associated with influenza virus infection.

LGBTQ resolution stirs controversy in PVUSD meeting

pvusd trustees
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District on Wednesday approved a resolution proclaiming October as LGBTQ+ History Month, a move that garnered unanimous approval from the board members in attendance and support from people at the meeting. Trustee Jennifer Schacher, who worked to fly LGBTQ flags...
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Watsonville nurses rally against ICU closure

Several dozen Watsonville Community Hospital nurses and staff warned Wednesday that closing the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit—an idea they said officials have floated amid...