News

WATSONVILLE—Alternative lenders outnumber mainstream lenders by more than 3-1 in Watsonville. That’s according to a joint report from Santa Cruz Community Ventures (SCCV) and UC Santa Cruz’s Blum Center presented to the public in Watsonville’s Civic Plaza on Tuesday. The report, called “Mamas con Mas,” identified...

WATSONVILLE—In the past two years, Pajaro Valley Unified School District students have shown growth in state assessments in English and Math, placing just below the national average. The district’s third, fourth and fifth-graders showed double-digit growth in their English language arts tests, while fourth and...

WATSONVILLE—Cesar Chavez Middle School student Regina Molina recently wrote a screenplay for “Forever Young,” about a girl who is reluctant to grow up and move on in her life.   “I think moving on is hard for a lot of people,” she said. “But sooner...

WATSONVILLE—A new large mosaic now graces the second floor of the main branch of the Watsonville Public Library. Created by Watsonville artist Kathleen Crocetti, the 10-by-12 work incorporates elements of the original library logo, the Pajaro Valley and the nearby coast. “It’s based on an aerial...

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District bus driver Barbie Gomez pulled into the transportation yard on Grimmer Road late Wednesday morning, a trip she has taken countless times in her 12 years on the job. But this day was different. She found a coterie of coworkers...

Oct. 18, 2019 Tarmo Hannula: Here comes Halloween, one of my favorite times of the year. Fall leaves, colder mornings and evenings, crazy dressed up houses and businesses. The other day I spotted T-Rex stomping through Nob Hill Foods in Capitola following customers through the...

SANTA CRUZ — The man found dead in his cell Monday at Santa Cruz County Main Jail was strangled, sheriff’s spokeswoman Ashley Keehn announced early Thursday. German Carrillo, 24, of Watsonville, was in custody on murder charges since April 2013.  Carrillo shared a cell with two other...

SANTA CRUZ—The former neurosurgeon accused of molesting multiple children committed suicide by slicing into his femoral artery on his left groin, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Ashley Keehn announced Wednesday. James Kohut, 59, was found dead in his cell early in the morning on Oct....

WATSONVILLE—Thick fog rolled in and blanketed Crystal Bay Farm Wednesday morning, but the fields of the farm were teeming with life. A group of kindergarteners from Valencia Elementary School in Aptos, along with parents and teacher Karen Richmond, were visiting the organic farm  just off...

SANTA CRUZ — The night sky was lit brightly with bolts of flames and electric lights Saturday evening during the annual Glow event at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History. The festival of fire and light drew a huge crowd to a closed-off...