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Watsonville
April 28, 2026

Video shows WPD officer punching man multiple times during arrest

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Police Department is facing criticism after a video was posted to social media showing one of its officers punching a man multiple times during an arrest on Tuesday night. In a video posted to multiple social media platforms this week, two officers responding...

Police: armed robbery nets beer, roses

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville police on Wednesday arrested a man after he allegedly used a gun to steal beer and roses from the Safeway store on Freedom Boulevard. Agustin Colin, 20, was charged with robbery, in addition to several weapons and gang charges. He was booked into Santa...

‘Best day of the year’: Caroline’s gives $500K to local nonprofits

Caroline's giveaway
WATSONVILLE—Caroline’s Nonprofit Thrift Shop donated $500,000 to local community-serving organizations on Sunday in a ceremony at Martinelli’s Company Store on Harvest Drive. Some 130 people flocked to Watsonville for the annual giveaway, which Caroline’s founder and director Christy Licker calls the organization’s “best day of...

Watsonville High School Drama’s ‘The Outsiders’ opens Nov. 14

Female-dominated cast puts fresh twist on classic story WATSONVILLE—Watsonville High School drama instructor David Scott believes that author S.E. Hinton would appreciate his stage adaptation of her 1967 novel, “The Outsiders.” Under the suggestion of her publisher, Susan Eloise Hinton had used her first and middle...

Briefs: Holiday Mercado; Homeless Memorial

Holiday Mercado honors Watsonville’s past, present and future Arte del Corazón will be hosting its Annual Holiday Mercado, “Just in Time for the Holidays,” at the VFW, 1960 Freedom Blvd., on Dec. 16 from 11am to 7pm.  Featuring more than 25 vendors with gifts, holiday treats...

Large affordable housing project receives county approval

watsonville housing
WATSONVILLE—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved the construction of an 80-unit affordable housing complex between Atkinson Lane and Brewington Avenue that could break ground early next year. The project, a part of a multiphase development plan approved some two decades...

President Biden flies into Watsonville to tour county storm damage

watsonville municipal airport joe biden
WATSONVILLE—President Joe Biden touched down at Watsonville Municipal Airport on Thursday, a visit that followed his emergency declaration on Jan. 9, which allows businesses and residents that suffered damage and loss in the recent spate of storms to receive federal aid. After touring Capitola Village...

Annual community fundraisers move online

Wine and roses
WATSONVILLE—An Evening of Wine and Roses and the Farm to Fork Gala, two annual community fundraisers for local organizations, have moved online. Wine and Roses, a fundraiser for the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust, will be a virtual event on Nov. 6 at 6pm. Tickets...

County, cities agree to purchase encrypted emergency radio system

On Dec. 2, the Watsonville City Council approved a plan to join a countywide network of first responder agencies in a state-of-the-art emergency radio system. On Tuesday, Santa Cruz County followed suit, agreeing to be a part of the Regional Interoperability Next Generation (RING) system,...

Here comes 2020, a new decade, a new year | About Town

Tarmo Hannula: There was a 3.9 earthquake centered in Morgan Hill last night. I was in bed reading when suddenly it felt like a truck bumped into my house. It hit at 11:16 p.m. The United State Geological Survey said it reached Santa Cruz,...
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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...