Local nursery sees uptick in business during pandemic
With the pandemic outbreak, most of us heard this warning many times: Stay at home. But that could have been softened a little bit with: “Stay at home and in the garden.” Because, for many of us, that’s what happened: People started plowing deep...
Watsonville man arrested in 16-year-old Miami murder case
SANTA CRUZ—A Watsonville man was arrested Monday on suspicion of homicide in a 16-year-old case regarding the death of his stepdaughter, Dilcia Mejia, in Florida.
Raul Mata, 46, has been charged with first-degree murder, the Miami-Dade Police Department said. The Homicide Bureau, Cold Case Unit,...
Internet company, educators work to bridge ‘digital divide’
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A team of local educators is teaming up with a Santa Cruz internet provider to bridge the so-called digital divide and bring broadband service to families who have been unable to access it.
The Equal Access Santa Cruz County (EASCC) fund is a...
Pump track coming to Ramsay Park
WATSONVILLE—Soon the area’s mountain bikers and BMX riders will have a haven in the heart of the city.
The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a deal with Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz (MBOSC) that will bring a pump track to Ramsay Park by...
Local companies gift Second Harvest new parking lot
WATSONVILLE—Since the outbreak of Covid-19, Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County has been distributing almost twice as much food to local families than usual.
As such, the organization’s parking lot is now full of distribution and refrigeration trucks, forklifts and storage containers. Staff, volunteers...
Watsonville nursing facility sees 27 Covid-19 cases
WATSONVILLE—A total of 27 residents and six staff members of Watsonville Post Acute Center have tested positive for Covid-19 since July 19, and the facility has enacted several safety and infection protocols to try to combat the virus’ spread.
The most recent cases—two patients—were announced...
Council approves alcohol license for new gas station
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday approved a beer and wine alcohol license for an incoming Arco AM/PM convenience store on the city’s outskirts, but not before raising several concerns about future developments in that area.
The gas station and convenience store is part of...
La distribución de alimentos de PVUSD se extiende hasta el semestre de otoño
WATSONVILLE—El Distrito Escolar Unificado del Valle de Pájaro (PVUSD, por sus siglas en Inglés) ha extendido su programa de desayuno y almuerzo gratis en bolsas durante el resto del semestre de otoño.
Los jóvenes de hasta 18 años pueden recoger las comidas en 15 escuelas...
Empty streets downtown | About Town
On Monday I clipped my bike to the 91X Metro Express bus on Water Street in Santa Cruz and came out to Watsonville. The express bus is just that — it whistles out to south county very quickly: I climbed off the bus 35...
Annual community fundraisers move online
WATSONVILLE—An Evening of Wine and Roses and the Farm to Fork Gala, two annual community fundraisers for local organizations, have moved online.
Wine and Roses, a fundraiser for the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust, will be a virtual event on Nov. 6 at 6pm. Tickets...
New leadership, shared priorities: Investing in the future of public safety
As we begin a new year, I want to reflect on the direction of public safety in Watsonville and the leadership helping guide that...
