59 F
Watsonville
November 30, 2025

Five arrested in strong-arm robbery

Santa Cruz Police detectives have arrested five suspects who allegedly participated in a June 23 robbery in which a victim was assaulted and shot, SCPD spokeswoman Joyce Blaschke said Monday.

Gunfire breaks out after crash on Highway 1 in Aptos

sirens
A man and his juvenile passenger were injured in a two-vehicle crash that led to gunfire Friday night on Highway 1 in Aptos. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office said that around 8:40pm, deputies and California Highway Patrol officers responded to a report of a...

PVUSD taps Murry Schekman for interim superintendent

Murry Schekman
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday will consider approving a contract for former Watsonville High School Principal Murry Schekman to be interim superintendent while the district looks for a permanent one. In addition to WHS, Schekman served as principal at...

Strawberries still county’s top crop

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY —Strawberries remain the county’s biggest crop, with an estimated value of $220,653,000 on approximately 2,578 planted acres. That’s according to the 2018 crop report released Thursday by Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner Juan Hidalgo. The report showed an overall production value of more...

Watsonville man named ‘hero’ by Diversity Center

WATSONVILLE—A 2017 report from SAGE, the country’s largest advocate for LGBT elders, found that roughly one-third of LGBT older adults live at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Worse, that report also found that many members of that community deal with...

City Council hearing various park plans

watsonville plaza parks
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council at Tuesday’s meeting is expected to make a decision on a long-awaited park project at Ramsay Park that would create a haven for the area’s mountain bikers. City staff is proposing that the old Ramsay Park skatepark on the Harkins Slough...

Deputy Sheriffs’ Association makes record donation for memorial park

Gutzwiller park
SOQUEL—The Santa Cruz County Deputy Sheriffs' Association (DSA) has offered a $100,000 “challenge” grant to help fund a memorial for Sheriff’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, who was killed on duty on June 6, 2020. The grant is the largest donation in the organization’s history. The DSA now...

Monarch Services celebrates 40 years

Monarch Services held its 40th anniversary celebration with a luncheon at Seascape Golf Club in Rio del Mar recently.

Police seeking church vandal

WATSONVILLE — Watsonville Police is asking for help in identifying a man who was caught on camera vandalizing St. Patrick’s Church on Tuesday afternoon. Surveillance footage shows the suspect walking toward the front doors of the church with a spray paint can in hand. About 15...

City opens applications for Committee on Policing and Social Equity

Watsonville police
Applications for Committee on Policing and Social Equity open WATSONVILLE—The City is forming an AD-HOC Committee on Policing and Social Equity, composed of City Council members, the Police Chief, City Manager, City Staff and community members, aiming to facilitate conversations that will inform the future...
7,695FansLike
4,949FollowersFollow
2,895FollowersFollow

Man arrested for agriculture-related crimes

A Prunedale man was arrested Nov. 26 on suspicion of a lengthy list of agriculture-related crimes including theft of a tractor. On Oct. 22, deputies...