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Watsonville
April 27, 2026

Aptos man arrested after high-speed chase

SANTA CRUZ—An Aptos man was arrested Friday morning following a dramatic chase around Santa Cruz and over Highway 17. James Johnston, 37, of Aptos, was taken into custody near Scotts Valley on a host of charges. Around 7am Santa Cruz Police received multiple calls of a...

Farmers Insurance agents support local teachers

Farmers Insurance agents Dwight Lynn and Jacqueline S. Barrios honored local classroom teachers in partnership with their principals, Elaine Parker of Amesti Elementary and Amy Thomas of Watsonville Charter School of the Arts (WCSA), for their contributions to the students and their families in the community of Watsonville.

Mobile crisis center helps South County’s young people

South County Mobile Emergency Response Team for Youth Watsonville
WATSONVILLE—Young people in South County suffering from mental health crises now have the option of a response that does not have to involve hospitalization. The South County Mobile Emergency Response Team for Youth (MERTY) was created to provide community and field-based crisis intervention services to...

La distribución de alimentos de PVUSD se extiende hasta el semestre de otoño

PVUSD
WATSONVILLE—El Distrito Escolar Unificado del Valle de Pájaro (PVUSD, por sus siglas en Inglés) ha extendido su programa de desayuno y almuerzo gratis en bolsas durante el resto del semestre de otoño. Los jóvenes de hasta 18 años pueden recoger las comidas en 15 escuelas...

Man arrested for sexual abuse lasting 'several years'

A 19-year-old Watsonville man was arrested Thursday after an underage girl told police he had been sexually abusing her for several years.

Five local elected seats to go unopposed

Watsonville city council
WATSONVILLE—Kristal Salcido says that she had for months planned to spend the final weeks leading up to the Nov. 8 election walking door-to-door throughout Watsonville’s Fourth District to drum up support for her city council run. On Wednesday, Salcido received the news that whether or...

Watsonville welcomes new mayor

Outgoing Watsonville Mayor Maria Orozco on Tuesday handed her gavel to Kristal Salcido, as the Mayor Pro Tempore seat went to Casey Clark. Under Watsonville ordinance, the council members rotate through the mayor positions every December. Before she ceded her seat, Orozco said she completed 26...

Elderday will move to downtown Watsonville

Watsonville seniors
WATSONVILLE—After operating for years in Santa Cruz, Elderday Adult Day Health Care will soon relocate to Watsonville. The move comes thanks to a $2.5 million grant from Central California Alliance for Health, which Elderday will use to purchase and modernize the space at 521 Main...

Local nonprofits combine forces to combat federal cuts

Before the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, roughly 18% of Santa Cruz County residents lacked health insurance. After it was signed into law, that number dropped to 6%. But as the Trump administration continues to make cuts at the federal level to myriad social...

Arrest made in Capitola fatal hit-and-run

sirens
Capitola Police arrested a 58-year-old woman Dec. 1 on suspicion of being the driver in a hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian on Nov. 18. “Capitola Police Officers successfully located and arrested Aurora Lopez, a 58-year-old resident of Soquel,” Capitola Police said in a statement....
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Queer Youth Leadership Awards approaching

The Queer Youth Leadership Awards (QYLA) has, in the decades since its inception, honored young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people (LGBTQ+) whose...