News

A day before the new school year started, with more than 16,000 students returning to class throughout Pajaro Valley Unified School District, Pajaro Middle School celebrated the reopening of the campus following major flood repairs.  When the Pajaro River Levee broke during heavy winter rains...

The annual Veterans Day parade returned this year after being canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. About three dozen local veterans marched down Main Street and up Beach Street to the Mello Center for a celebration of their service in the armed forces.

PVUSD students to screen original films Students in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District will showcase their own film creations Tuesday at the Henry J. Mello Center during the district’s fourth annual Oscars Night. Put on by the Watsonville Film Festival and the Latino Film Institute’s...

For the past decade, local author Joyce Oroz has steadily released volumes of her Josephine Stuart Mystery Series. And now the 12th book has joined the lineup. “Lost and Bound” follows the series’ titular character, Josephine Stuart, as she investigates the death of a woman...

In 1853, the Methodist Church housed the first group of school children taught by Seneca Carroll in the village of Pajaro (later known as Watsonville).  The church was on the corner of Main and East Fourth (now East Lake).  Ten years later in 1863, the first...

Special events Clam Chowder Cook-Off (Feb. 22-23) The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk welcomes the 39th annual Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook-Off. The popular fundraiser for Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department is a two-day event, with amateur chefs competing on Feb. 22 and professional chefs the...

The eighth annual Pajaro Valley Pride (PVP) Celebration unfolded in Watsonville Sunday with a day of performances, drag story time, booths, interactive spaces, food, arts and crafts and information tables from organizations from around the county. Staged at the YWCA on East Beach Street, the...

To help solve safety and congestion issues, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County is seeking the public's input on how best to improve the Pajaro to Prunedale corridor.

Watsonville City Councilman Jimmy Dutra was in Santa Cruz County Superior Court Tuesday, where jury selection began for his civil trial.  The trial is expected to last through Sept. 13, Judge Timothy Schmal told the mostly empty courtroom.  Dutra is accused of sexually abusing a boy...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture handed out six awards at its 59th annual dinner on July 31, recognizing local businesses, people and organizations that helped the community during a trying 2020. Held outdoors at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, the gala brought...