Five years a winner
Amesti Elementary School fifth-grader Kevin Bonita on Thursday took home more than a free 18-pound turkey when he won the school’s annual Turkey Trot race.
He also has the distinction of being the first to win the race every year he attended the school.
A young...
Man arrested after damaging city elevator
A man was arrested Feb. 1 after surveillance footage caught him using a torch lighter to damage a city elevator.
Laird bill will boost safety for battery storage facilities
A new law authored by Sen. John Laird—and signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom—will bolster safety standards for new battery storage facilities and improve coordination with fire officials.
Senate Bill 283 was sponsored by the California Professional Firefighters and the California State Association...
Briefs: Pancreatic cancer support concert
Raising voices for pancreatic cancer
An inaugural pancreatic cancer support concert has been set for Nov. 19 at Bargetto Winery in Soquel. The one-night event features Uma Dobia, a popular Australian singer who will perform opera and show tunes.
Marina Thomas, a Watsonville pianist, will be...
Photo: Firefighters quickly tame wildland blaze
A Watsonville firefighter chases flames back where a wildland fire broke out today at at around 2:40pm on Ohlone Parkway between Main Street and Harkins Slough Road. A huge cloud of white smoke engulfed nearby Panda Express restaurant as groups of onlookers stood by...
Rainbow Conference to support LGBTQ youth
The Safe Schools Project of Santa Cruz County is hosting its annual Rainbow Conference on Saturday, Sept. 27 at Watsonville High School.
The event is billed as a day of “celebration, community and learning” for LGBTQ youth of all ages and the people who support...
Officials urge preventative health measures this holiday season
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—County health officials announced Tuesday that seasonal cases of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and the flu have been reported earlier than usual this year, and are on the rise, causing increased hospitalizations for children.
Covid-19 is also experiencing an uptick locally and in...
Local team earns top prize
A pair of students from a Santa Cruz-based home school program took a top prize earlier this month at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles.
PVUSD trustees extend school resource officer program
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on May 11 unanimously voted to continue a program at two high schools in which law enforcement officers are paired with mental health clinicians, and to bring the program to a third school.
The School Resource...
Volunteer-led sandbag effort continues
WATSONVILLE—As the next major rainstorm rolls in, the City of Watsonville and local nonprofits are heading up a major effort to provide sandbags for local residents in flood-prone areas.
Scores of city staff and volunteers from Community Bridges, the Community Action Board, the California Conservation...
Watsonville baseball coach Tige McSwain now in charge of football program
Watsonville High didn’t have to look too far in its pursuit of a new head football coach for the upcoming 2026 fall season.
The school...






















