News

SANTA CRUZ — The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday updated the county’s rules for development around Watsonville Municipal Airport, a set of regulations that now align with those of the state. The Airport Combining Zone District plan creates six safety zones for the...

Nearly 3,000 people in the Soquel area were without power Wednesday morning after an explosion and a fire in an underground utilities unit at about 9:40 a.m.

WATSONVILLE—The Cabrillo College Board of Trustees on Monday unanimously appointed Martha Vega to fill the Area 5 seat left vacant when Felipe Hernandez was elected to the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. “I’m grateful,” she said. “I am humbled and I’m honored and I...

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday gave the final stamp of approval for lounges attached to marijuana dispensaries, where people can legally smoke what they buy. The proposal passed 3-2, with supervisors Monica Martinez and Kim De Serpa dissenting. Supporters predict that so-called...

An upbeat ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance headquarters at the corner of East Lake and Brewington avenues unfolded under sunny skies Thursday in Watsonville. The new facility is an expansion of PVPSA, a local nonprofit that aims...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the 2022 Active Transportation Plan, a 200-page document that outlines dozens of projects which aim to increase the county’s system of bicycle and walking paths. “The vision is to create a network of...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz area California Highway Patrol has brought aboard a new Captain, Aron Ching.  Born and raised in the Hawaiian Islands, Ching moved to California to pursue a career with the CHP and has been with the department for 23 years.  His new...

Tarmo Hannula: When my friend Noel, a family attorney, dropped me off in downtown Watsonville early Wednesday I walked into the Second Street Café for a coffee. For years I’ve carried my own reusable thermos to save on throw-away cups. In line I got...

Around 150 people gathered in Watsonville Plaza Thursday night in a vigil for 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good, who was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Wednesday in Minnesota.  Carrying candles and homemade signs honoring Good—a mother of three—the gathering marked...

Watsonville firefighters respond to a small fire in the Resetar Residential Hotel on east Lake Avenue Wednesday, which forced the evacuation of dozens of residents and closed East Lake Avenue for a short time. According to Watsonville Fire Battalion Chief Corey Schaffer, the fire...