Santa Cruz County’s first inclusive park opens
LIVE OAK—Santa Cruz County’s first-ever inclusive playground officially opened Jan. 18 at Chanticleer Park in Live Oak.
LEO’s Haven, a playground designed to welcome children with disabilities such as blindness, mobility impairment and autism, is the centerpiece of the $4 million rebuild of the 4.5-acre...
Monterey Bay Caterers up for sale as owner rides into retirement
WATSONVILLE—Monterey Bay Caterers, a long-standing business in the Pajaro Valley which operated as a catering business and a restaurant, is for sale.
Owner Ken Schwan said a combination of things led to his decision. He’ll be 64 next month, and his recent motorcycle crash that...
Local lawmakers ask feds for more flood control dollars
The National Association of Counties voted Saturday to urge federal authorities to focus more federal flood control funding on low-income communities.
Nonprofit kicks off First Friday in Seascape Village
A series of First Friday art shows will kick off in Seascape Village this summer thanks to Stable Life Services (SLS), a nonprofit aiming to support individuals with special needs and their caregivers.
First Friday is a monthly art tour featuring local artists in venues...
Library receives grant to establish ‘creative cafe’ at Freedom Branch
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Public Library (WPL) has received a $12,000 grant which it will use to establish a “creative cafe” at its Freedom Branch.
Similar to a makerspace, a creative cafe is a hub offering a community a place to produce creative projects. The Freedom Branch’s...
PHOTO: Lincoln Street fire displaces 11
Watsonville firefighters tear into a wall at the rear of a home on the 600 block of Lincoln Street Tuesday where a fire broke out.
Division Chief Corey Schaefer said the fire erupted just past noon inside the wood walls of an older single-story...
Nonprofits, community groups celebrate farmworkers as lawmakers call for more support
WATSONVILLE—After working a long shift picking strawberries and greens, dozens of farmworkers and their families received the royal treatment thanks to a new program from El Pájaro Community Development Corporation.
Called the Farmworker’s Family Dinner, the initiative treated 38 families—roughly 230 people—to meals from El...
Census workers finding residents where they live
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—With a Sept. 30 deadline to complete the nationwide 2020 Census, the federal agency has its hands full making sure every resident is counted.
But that can be difficult when residents have been evacuated due to an emergency such as the CZU August...
Photo: At least 200 call for peace, justice after deadly shooting
People take part in an anti-violence rally Sunday in Watsonville's City Plaza as part of a memorial for Feliciano Martinez Perea, 18, who was shot and killed on April 2 at his home on Riverside Drive.
Watsonville Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said officers...
Community leaders host rally for Measure E
Dozens of community members and local leaders gathered at a rally Friday at Watsonville Community Hospital in support of Measure E, the temporary half-cent...
