Quick-thinking pharmacist thwarts armed robbery
Sometimes, armed robbery does not pay off. A pharmacist was working at the CVS store on Rodriguez Street at about 11:40am on Feb. 4 when a man wearing a ski mask demanded Oxycontin.
But instead of giving the man what he wanted, the pharmacist told...
A blaze of glory: longtime fire reservist dies
John R. Walker Jr., a major fixture in Watsonville’s landscape of firefighting, parades and labor task force, died Jan. 27 of pancreatic cancer. He was 84.
Walker served as a Watsonville Reserve Firefighter for three decades, and left that post as Reserve Lt. Co. No....
One dead, houses damaged in windstorm
A man was killed in Boulder Creek after a tree crashed into his home, as winds pounded Santa Cruz County after several heavy rainstorms on Sunday.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff's spokeswoman Ashley Keehn identified the man as as 45-year-old Robert Brainard III.
Deputies and firefighters responded...
PHOTO: Watsonville Police Seek Armed Robbery Suspect
ARMED ROBBERY: Watsonville Police search a shopping center on the 1800 block of Freedom Blvd. Sunday after a man reportedly robbed the pharmacy at the Walgreens store. Police got an emergency call from the store around 12:15pm about a man wearing a ski...
Rain, Winds Pound County, Topple Trees
Rain and wind swept across Santa Cruz County on Sunday, with storm damage reported in several places.
Paige Gordon stood near her Live Oak home, hours after a towering eucalyptus tree—felled by heavy winds— smashed through the top floor and rendered the entire structure uninhabitable.
High...
New art exhibit highlights students
Art students at Watsonville High School have pooled their talents into a new exhibit at the Pajaro Valley Arts Porter Building.
“Wildcatz Art Show,” with the theme of “Who Are the Students of Watsonville High,” showcases more than 100 artworks, including painting, drawing, photography, print-making...
Bus driver shortages challenging districts nationwide
During its Jan. 24 meeting, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees unanimously approved a financial reward for anyone who recommends qualified bus drivers.
The $1,000 incentive was the district’s attempt to fill its dwindling ranks of drivers to take students to and...
Road upgrades move forward
A new traffic signal is nearing completion at the corner of Sydney Avenue at Freedom Boulevard in Watsonville.
County unveils new Sobering Center
Santa Cruz County re-opened its new sobering center, where people under the influence of drugs and who are drunk in public—as well as first-time DUI offenders—can sober up, avoid jail and connect with services.
Keeping quilting tradition alive, new
This year’s quilt show—titled “A Galaxy of Quilts”—is set for Feb. 24 and 25 at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.
Photo story: Fire damages Watsonville home
NIGHT BLAZE Firefighters from around the Pajaro Valley stage a battle against a fire that erupted in a single-story home on the 100 block...