News

WATSONVILLE—A man died Tuesday evening after a big rig and small car collided on San Juan Road on the outskirts of Watsonville. Monterey County Sheriff/Coroner’s Office Cmdr. Derrel Simpson identified the victim as Jose Avila Rios, 36, of Salinas. California Highway Patrol officer Jessica Madueño said...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville police are investigating the second deadly shooting in three days, after a 19-year-old died of a gunshot wound Saturday night near the Pajaro River levee.  Watsonville police around 7pm responded to the dead end of Walker Street near the levee after a caller...

WATSONVILLE—A popular local barbershop will soon move to downtown Watsonville. The Chop Shop is planning to relocate from the city’s outskirts on Freedom Boulevard to the corner of Main Street and East Lake Avenue, according to owner Gabino Varela. The 471 Main St. location currently houses...

Note: Reporter Erin Malsbury contributed to this report. After hearing about the arrival of an extremely rare tropical bird in Santa Cruz last week, I immediately texted an out-of-state birder friend. “I’m so jealous I want to vomit,” they replied. When avid birdwatchers see a species for...

A woman with more than two decades of experience leading nonprofit and community-based organizations has been selected to lead the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. Dori Rose Inda, who formerly served as CEO of Salud Para La Gents, will take the reins at the fairgrounds, seven...

Limited rides at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk reopened April 1 following state public health guidelines. Boardwalk rides have been closed since March 2020 due to Covid-19, although they operated for a brief time in November. Ride reservations, which have been selling out daily,...

WATSONVILLE—More than two dozen community members at Tuesday night’s Watsonville City Council meeting showed resounding support for the Pajaro Valley Arts Council’s planned rebuild of the historic Porter Building, a City of Watsonville-owned property at the gateway of downtown. And a competing proposal from...

It has been nearly five decades since Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls began selling their iconic pastries at the Santa Cruz County Fair. The stand has become a cornerstone of the fair’s multifarious food offerings, and on busy days the dozen or so employees can sell...

WATSONVILLE—Oscar Soto has won the Trustee Area 3 seat on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees, beating Amanda Hernandez by 51 votes, according to results from Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, neither of which have been certified. Soto said he was cautiously...