County remembers people who died while homeless
The number of people who died while homeless this year saw a sizable decline from last year, when Santa Cruz County honored 121 people at its annual Homeless Memorial.
Still, the 75 chairs at the center of the cavernous Portuguese Hall in Santa Cruz—each empty...
New downtown Watsonville art studio opens first major exhibit
WATSONVILLE—Gina Arnold knew for years that her father was an amateur artist. He would say that he went out to paint every weekend, and he had an office full of paints. He even sent out hand-painted Christmas cards every year.
But Arnold had no idea...
Salvation Army shutters its shelter
On Saturday morning, 48-year-old Gerardo Gutierrez was one of about a dozen men sitting in the day room at Salvation Army’s Watsonville location, quietly watching an old Vicente Fernández film playing silently on a television mounted to the ceiling.
The men—most of them homeless—had stayed...
Pajaro flood victims still rebuilding
Months after floods devastated parts of the Pajaro Valley, residents continue to rely on financial support from local organizations as they start to rebuild their lives.
While the waters have receded and a sense of normalcy has been restored, some people are still struggling to...
PVUSD cancels elementary portion of Virtual Academy
WATSONVILLE—After seeing declining enrollment in the lower grades of its Virtual Academy, Pajaro Valley Unified School District has canceled that portion of the online school.
But the District will keep the school’s 7-12 grades, since that portion has more robust student numbers.
The District Board of...
PVUSD trustees to question attorney expense; Acosta faces possible censure
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday will discuss whether former board president Georgia Acosta had the authority to use an attorney to advise the board, after she and three other members abruptly fired Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez.
Important repairs | About Town
The leaning tower of Dallas? A demolition in Dallas on Sunday of a residential high-rise did not go according to plan. Following the typical dynamite blasts and huge puffs of smoke the old building simply leaned over a bit and stayed that...
New landfill ‘a major milestone’ for city
Watsonville city on Tuesday reopened its landfill after a seven-year closure, unveiling two new areas that will give the city its own waste facility for about 75 years.
City officials hailed the opening of Cell 4—located at 730 San Andreas Road—as “a major milestone in...
Two die in crash on East Lake Avenue
Two people died in a two-car crash Sunday night at the intersection of East Lake Avenue and Casserly Road.
California Highway Patrol officer Israel Murillo...
