News

Around 150 people gathered in Watsonville Plaza Thursday night in a vigil for 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good, who was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Wednesday in Minnesota.  Carrying candles and homemade signs honoring Good—a mother of three—the gathering marked...

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Arts (PVA) is looking for artists and muralists to be featured in Moveable Murals, a project done in collaboration with the City of Watsonville and the Parks & Recreation Commission. The project, now in its third year, provides a venue for artists and...

Three earthquakes hit the Central Coast and inland areas early Tuesday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). A 3.5 magnitude quake struck at 9:34 a.m., centered 14 miles south of Tres Pinos in San Benito County. The strongest shaker, magnitude 3.8, came at...

By Jacob Pierce, Good Times Editor Several hours after a new stay-at-home order took effect Friday, Housing Matters Executive Director Phil Kramer opened up a Homeless Memorial Zoom call by reflecting on a difficult year marked by the Covid-19 pandemic and devastating wildfires. Kramer, the event’s...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday will provide direction on major proposed modifications to the City’s cannabis laws, including the possible addition of multiple dispensaries. According to the staff report prepared for Tuesday’s meeting, the City is recommending the addition of two retail licenses as...

WATSONVILLE—Roughly 60 people—many of them on bikes—gathered on the southwest outskirts of Watsonville on July 17 to celebrate the completion of the first phase of the city’s segment of the Coastal Rail Trail. The ribbon-cutting for the 12-foot wide, quarter-mile-long strip of asphalt between Walker...

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,...

Almost all Americans will soon receive one-time payments from the federal government thanks to the nearly $2 trillion COVID-19 relief bill approved by Congress on Tuesday night, according to the Associated Press. Details of the unrivaled package are expected to change as leaders continue negotiations...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council at its first meeting of year will weigh whether to approve a proposed 170,000 gallon propane storage facility at 950 West Beach St., a project that has been much debated since it was first introduced in July of 2020. If approved,...