News

Source: Watsonville Police Department April 24 • Someone stole a vehicle parked on the 100 block of Menker Street at about 6am. • An unknown suspect kicked in the door of a residence on the 100 block of Rio Del Pajaro Court at about 7:30pm. No suspect...

Watsonville High School senior Acuzena Sandoval had her pick of colleges — from several UC campuses to the Ivy League. She chose Stanford. The decision capped years of academic work rooted in a clear goal: using science and engineering to address the environmental challenges she has...

A weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like. TONY NUÑEZ Food La Fondita: enchiladas Having our offices in downtown Watsonville has been a delight for me come lunchtime. So many great restaurants. So little time—and money. I’ve started to...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police are warning the public about the increasing prevalence of virtual kidnapping scams, in which callers claim to have kidnapped a family member and demand a ransom payment. “Within the last week, officers have received nearly a half dozen calls from virtual kidnapping victims,”...

WATSONVILLE—Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1716, which has served the local community of veterans since its inception in 1929, is facing closure after members failed to elect officers at a meeting in July. Member Paul Szemenciak says that, out of 116 members, just eight showed...

The 17th annual Cultural Caliente! Dance Concert, which serves as a scholarship fundraiser, will feature a wealth of dances including hip-hop, folklorico, modern, cha cha, tango, on top of a mix of local dance groups. It runs Friday at the Mello Center, 250 East Beach St., at 7 p.m.

WATSONVILLE—It was 37 years ago that Larry Chin became a reserve firefighter with Watsonville Fire Department, inspired by television shows such as “Emergency!” and the glamor of the profession. He joined the department eight years later. On Wednesday morning, he signed off from his final...

By Jane Sellen SALINAS—On May 27 dozens gathered at the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s office in Salinas, calling on the state and county governments to web-post advance warning of agricultural pesticide use. The event was one of several by farmworking communities across California who joined together...

Tarmo Hannula: Genaro Garcia Luna, Mexico’s former public security secretary, the very man who brazenly took on Mexico’s chief drug traffickers, has now been arrested and charged with taking millions of dollars in bribes from the Sinaloa cartel, the New York Times reported. His...

WATSONVILLE—The demographics of Santa Cruz County’s novel coronavirus cases now mirror those at the state and national level, raising concerns about the county’s response to increasing numbers in Watsonville. Though cases have remained relatively low compared to other counties around the state, Watsonville and its...