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Editor's note: This story has been updated from a previous version. The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees rejected a move to censure Trustee Gabriel Medina during a clamorous public board meeting on May 7 that included public outcry and bickering among board...

Marin Alsop grew up dreaming of being a conductor.  From a young age, she aspired to lead a group of talented classical musicians, performing for audiences and spreading her love of music—despite the fact there were very few women in such a position. Alsop is now...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The number of unemployed people in Santa Cruz County has nearly doubled since the Covid-19 crisis began in March 2020, from 4.8 percent in 2019 to 8.5 percent last year. That amounts to 16,900 fewer jobs than there were a year ago, said...

Prosecution and defense painted sharply varying pictures of Adrian “A.J.”Gonzalez in closing arguments  in Superior Court Tuesday, and a jury will now determine whether the 25-year-old can be released after serving his sentence for the 2015 murder of 8-year-old Madyson “Maddy” Middleton. Prosecutor Tara George...

A new mural is in town. The mammoth colorful piece, depicting all local youths and adults standing in front of a Cessna 172, hangs above a sign, “Kids Fly Free,” a program offered to young people ages 8-17, by the Experimental Aircraft Association.

The Watsonville Strawberry Festival is returning in full force this year, back to a three-day event for the first time since 2019.  The popular event runs this Friday through Sunday and will include food booths, many featuring strawberry-themed treats, as well as a beer garden,...

WATSONVILLE—Thirteen area youths graduated from the Watsonville Fire Department’s summer Youth Academy on June 23. As a part of the two-week program, which was mothballed for the past two years due to the pandemic, the teens learned the ins and outs of firefighting and the...

The Department of Community Development and Infrastructure will implement stiff penalties for illegal dumping violations on July 11.

We spoke with Melissa West, printmaker and visual artist, about Watsonville’s arts ecosystem, what inspires her to create, and where you can see her work in the coming weeks. What do you love about Watsonville’s arts community and being an artist living and working here? A...

WATSONVILLE—The city of Watsonville will likely ask its residents to approve a half-cent sales tax increase in the November election that would raise the city’s sales tax to 9.75%—the most the municipality is allowed to tax its residents. The Watsonville City Council did not place...