News

MONTEREY COUNTY—School districts across the U.S. were on alert Thursday after a challenge posted on the social media application TikTok urged followers to call in shooting and bomb threats to their schools on Friday. Students at North Monterey County High School were ordered to shelter...

WATSONVILLE—With hundreds of miles behind them and thousands still ahead, bicyclists Claire and Will Stedden of Fort Bragg have been relying on a huge and free energy source to help fuel their journey—the sun. After grabbing lunch at Taqueria La Fuente in Watsonville Tuesday, they...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council will hold a special meeting on Wednesday regarding the city’s search for a new chief executive. The meeting, scheduled for 5:30pm in the City Council Chambers, comes a few days after news broke that current city manager Matt Huffaker had been...

WATSONVILLE—Residents flocked to the corner of Beach and Walker streets this weekend to experience an electric light rail streetcar that could one day be implemented in Santa Cruz County. Coast Futura (CF), an alliance of people from various county organizations, scheduled the demonstration with Roaring...

WATSONVILLE—This weekend residents will have the opportunity to ride on a clean-energy, accessible streetcar along a section of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line in Watsonville. Members of Coast Futura, an alliance of people from various other county organizations, organized the demonstration with Roaring Camp...

WATSONVILLE—Pete Galvan, who devoted the breadth of his career in education to Watsonville High School, will retire this month. When Galvan steps off campus for the last time on Aug. 17, it will be the end of a tenure that began nearly four decades ago. More...

SANTA CRUZ—The man who gunned down a rival gang member and killed a 4-year-old girl in the crossfire nearly six years ago was sentenced Thursday to two consecutive terms of life without parole in state prison. Michael Escobar, 36, also received more than 12 years...

Asked to describe this year’s crop of graduates, Watsonville High School Principal Clara Fernandez lauded the 439 Wildcatz of the class of 2021 for their resiliency and determination to make it through more than a year of distance-learning instruction. Roughly 99% of all seniors, Fernandez...

WATSONVILLE—In a gathering outside of the Civic Plaza in downtown Watsonville on May 28, mayor Jimmy Dutra and the city of Watsonville raised the rainbow Pride Flag in honor of LGBTQ Pride Month. Celebrated annually in June, Pride Month acknowledges the 1969 Stonewall Riots in...

Watsonville City Attorney Alan Smith, who has held the position for 25 years, has announced his retirement and plans to work through December, City Manager Matt Huffaker confirmed Friday.