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Watsonville
February 3, 2026

Sheriff’s office warns of phone scam

Santa Cruz County Sheriff
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is warning of a scam in which callers warn residents they have a warrant, and demand money. The individual has identified himself as “John Steel” with the Sheriff’s Office and requests money from the victim. The number...

Work on E. Lake Ave./Holohan Rd. intersection expected to wrap up in July

Work continues on roadway and signal improvements at the intersection of Holohan Road and East Lake Avenue (Hwy 152). The job is part of a $4.3 million project that will rearrange the heavily traveled intersection, including  a left-turn lane and a merge lane from...

PHOTO: Woman injured in downtown rollover

Watsonville Police Sgt. Henry Robles collects information at a three-car crash on Main Street Thursday.

Commission approves wine tasting room

The Watsonville Planning Commission on Tuesday allowed a small winery to open a tasting room on Aviation Way.

Watsonville Fire engineer retires

WATSONVILLE—It was 37 years ago that Larry Chin became a reserve firefighter with Watsonville Fire Department, inspired by television shows such as “Emergency!” and the glamor of the profession. He joined the department eight years later. On Wednesday morning, he signed off from his final...

Shoppers hustle for the holidays

Tarmo Hannula President Donald Trump was impeached Wednesday by the House of Representatives on two articles, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. We’ve all heard Trump’s unending list of labels for this: lies, sham, fraud, hoax, shameful, scam, witch hunt, distortion, untruthful, mean, disastrous...

Photo: Fire erupts in East Beach home

Watsonville firefighters attack a fire that broke out in a two-story home on the 400 block East Beach Street Thursday morning. Battalion Chief Jon Goulding said the blaze opened up in a second floor portion of the home that is divided into several units....

Popular Watsonville eateries reopen for pick-up and delivery

NOTE: Part of this story was written by reporter Tarmo Hannula. While some Watsonville restaurants have remained open since the countywide shelter-in-place order went into effect over two months ago, many have taken their time adjusting to the industry’s changing landscape. This includes two Watsonville mainstays:...

Fighting our culture of contempt

Memo from Pastor Rene Schlaepfer
One day my wife Laurie is on NextDoor, the social media site, and sees someone post, “Hey, just saw a coyote in my backyard, make sure your cat is safe indoors.” Almost instantly that seemingly innocuous text ignites into a full-fledged neighbor war, complete with...
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Jim Barsi talks about the sale of Barsi's Liquor Store in 2019.

Jim Barsi—owner of Barsi’s Liquor Store—dies

James Joseph “Jim” Barsi, who ran his eponymous liquor store on East Lake Avenue for a half-century before selling the business and retiring in...