WPD: woman stole thousands from Watsonville business
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police on Thursday arrested a Salinas woman accused of embezzling more than $75,000 from a Watsonville business located on Hangar Way.
Julie Brooks, 50, faces felony grand theft charges. She was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail on $100,000 bail, but was not in...
Watsonville resident takes to the sky on 92nd birthday
Marie Roberts was just 3 years old when she first started to dream of flying.
Born in Nebraska in 1928, Roberts watched her father install a large, multi-unit birdhouse in their home’s yard. She was immediately transfixed.
“I looked up at those creatures and I started...
Former Watsonville Police DARE officer dies
WATSONVILLE—Mike Ciglar, a retired Watsonville Police Department officer and fixture in the local law scene for 30 years, died Oct. 15 at 62.
A longtime Watsonville resident, soft-spoken and easy going, Ciglar, among other things, played a huge role in community involvement and served at...
Data privacy, cash bail system goes to voters in state props
Editor’s note: This is the final entry in a series that will break down the California Propositions going to voters in the Nov. 3 election. To read the first entry click here, to read the second entry click here and to read the third...
Watsonville High mural painted over during construction
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville High School community is reeling from the recent loss of a much-loved mural that graced a wall in the school’s cafeteria for more than three decades.
Construction workers refurbishing the cafeteria earlier this year painted over the wall after updating wiring and heating...
Lazy days | Photo Gallery
Do you have a recent photograph you’d like to share? Send it to us for consideration by emailing it to [email protected] or mailing it to 21 Brennan St., Suite 14, Watsonville, CA 95076. Please include a brief description of the photo as well as the name...
City closes first period of cannabis applications
WATSONVILLE—A total of 18 cannabis license applications, spanning across all fields of the industry, have been submitted to the City of Watsonville in time for its Oct. 15 deadline.
Community Development Department Director Suzi Merriam said that the process went smoothly, and the amount of...
Watsonville Film Festival to host virtual Day of the Dead celebration
The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) is a Mexican holiday observed across the globe every year in which families honor their deceased relatives with food, drink and various celebrations.
For the past few years, the Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) has organized a...
METRO pledges to improve safety
SANTA CRUZ—In an effort to meet public transit safety standards set during the Covid-19 pandemic, officials at Santa Cruz METRO at a Wednesday press conference showcased the safety and precautionary measures they have put in place.
Santa Cruz County Supervisor John Leopold and METRO Board...
Fire breaks out at Wall Street Inn
WATSONVILLE—One person was injured and roughly 88 people were displaced in a two-alarm structure fire that broke out at the Wall Street Inn in downtown Watsonville today shortly after 1pm.
Rosa Meyer, administrative analyst for the Watsonville Fire Department, said that firefighters were able to...
From our archives: Funds drive
Members of Native Daughters prepare for a holiday event on Oct. 26, 1959 in Watsonville. (Sam Vestal/Pajaronian file)





















