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WATSONVILLE—For 10 years, Youth N.O.W. has tutored and empowered hundreds of students throughout the Pajaro Valley, providing an essential outlet for those struggling to pick up various subjects in class or finding a safe space to study after the bell rings. Now, after a sudden...

WATSONVILLE—For the past six years, Watsonville Wetlands Watch (WWW) has invited high schoolers to work alongside professionals to experience a range of environmental-based careers. The organization’s Green Careers Institute aimed to give students an understanding of the impacts of climate change and a window...

WATSONVILLE—From an early age, Marc Sander could tell he thought and felt a bit differently from his peers. One day, while playing basketball with a group of kids in his neighbor’s driveway, he became increasingly frustrated with how they were playing the game. They...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Thanks to $10 million in federal and state grants, Santa Cruz County has launched a new Housing for Health office, County Administrative Officer Carlos Palacios announced at a press conference Nov. 19. Robert Ratner, who brings in 14 years of experience from Alameda...

WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville man was arrested early Monday morning for allegedly running a chop shop at a residence on Grant Street, California Highway Patrol officer Sam Courtney said. Gustavo Chavez, 28, was charged with vehicle theft, running a motor vehicle chop shop and a probation violation....

WATSONVILLE—For 12 years, Sherry Dang and Kirk di Cicco, husband-and-wife owners of five local franchised 7-Eleven stores, have made it a point to give back to their community during Thanksgiving. And the Covid-19 pandemic was not going to stop them from continuing that tradition...

WATSONVILLE—A family of a man who died from Covid-19 at Watsonville Post Acute Center (WPAC) has sued the facility. Donald Wickham, 94, died on Oct. 10. He was one of 16 residents who died after contracting the virus. According to the lawsuit filed Nov. 10 by...

APTOS—Two weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday rolled around, Twin Lakes Church Pastor Rene Schlaepfer and Second Harvest Food Bank (SHFB) CEO Willy Elliott McCrea were worried. The church’s annual food drive, which typically raises thousands of dollars for the food bank’s holiday, was falling short,...

WATSONVILLE—The Digital NEST during its first six years has seen impressive and steady growth in the number of young people that it serves and in the impact on the communities in which it is embedded. Now, the nonprofit youth workforce development center headquartered in Watsonville...