Evacuation warnings issued for Santa Cruz Mountains residents
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Cal Fire CZU on Sunday evening issued evacuation warnings for swaths of the San Lorenzo Valley, including most of Boulder Creek and various areas of Ben Lomond and Felton that just a few months ago were scorched by the CZU August Lightning...
Mass vaccination site coming to County Fairgrounds
A mass vaccination site with the capacity to administer 1,000 injections per day will open at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville next week, but it is unlikely that it will reach its capacity anytime soon because of a continuing shortage of Covid-19...
Four juveniles arrested in suspected Santa Cruz drive-by
SANTA CRUZ—Four juveniles were charged with attempted murder Friday for allegedly shooting a man as he walked in a neighborhood on Hagemann Avenue in Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz Police Chief Andy Mills said the victim was walking on the 100 block of Hagemann Avenue just...
National 9 Motel demolition slated for next week
WATSONVILLE—The National 9 Motel in the heart of the city will be razed in the coming days to make way for a four-story, 80-room Hilton Home2 Suites hotel.
Kamalesh Patel, the owner of the half-acre lot at 1 Western Drive, was issued a demolition permit...
Former NMC High coach writes book on football stories
Phil Maas, a former head coach for the North Monterey County High football team, had one of the best turnaround seasons for any team in Monterey County. He took a group that went from winless to undefeated in the span of a season.
Maas shares...
Watsonville schools to compete in SCCAL when Covid restrictions loosen
The Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League on Wednesday took a big step forward in the anticipated return of high school sports, announcing its 2021 sports seasons for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year. The board of managers took it a step further with...
Watsonville Community Hospital owners abruptly ousted
WATSONVILLE—The company that purchased Watsonville Community Hospital two years ago—Los Angeles-based Halsen Healthcare—has been removed from a leadership role as of Jan. 18.
Los Angeles-based Prospect Medical Holdings will now run the hospital on an interim basis. The announcement came Monday via an email to...
California Pajarosa navigates a changing industry
Business at California Pajarosa Floral, one of Watsonville’s last remaining large flower growers, has altered drastically since the outbreak of Covid-19 last year.
Already dealing with an evolving industry before the pandemic due to growth in offshore production, things came to a sudden halt at...
State prioritizes farmworkers for Covid-19 vaccinations
CALIFORNIA—As California deals with a surge of Covid-19 cases, hope is in sight as the vaccine begins to be administered to healthcare workers and long-term care residents.
And on Jan. 13, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that farmworkers would be included in the next tier.
The announcement...
Watsonville police nab man wanted for recent shooting
WATSONVILLE—A man wanted for an attempted murder in Watsonville on Jan. 7 was arrested Tuesday during a high-risk traffic stop.
Ian Coetzee, 21, was charged with attempted murder. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu of $375,000 bail, jail records showed.
According to...
Police seeking 12-year-old couple on lam
Watsonville police Saturday were looking for a 12-year-old girl who took her mothers car and went on the run with her 12-year-old boyfriend, and...






















