Briefs: Elks raise funds to help children in need
More than $4.4 million has been contributed this year by members of Elks Lodges throughout California and Hawaii to be used in treating children with disabilities.
Warren Anderson, Exalted Ruler of Watsonville Lodge No. 1300 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, contributed $1,917.07...
Store hands out 8,200 pounds of chicken to Second Harvest
WATSONVILLE—Second Harvest Food Bank’s efforts to aid Pajaro flood victims received a boost Wednesday when Staff of Life Natural Foods and Smart Chicken donated more than four tons of chicken.
With the Smart Giving Program, Staff of Life Natural Foods and Smart Chicken donated over...
Pajaro levee project takes another step forward
WATSONVILLE—Voters who live in proximity to the Pajaro River levee system will soon decide on adding a special assessment to their property tax bill that would help fund the long-awaited Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project.
The Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency (PRFMA) on Wednesday...
All evacuation warnings lifted for Watsonville
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police Department lifted all evacuation warnings in the City of Watsonville on Monday.
Access into Pajaro from Watsonville is still closed off by the Monterey County Sheriff's Office and will remain closed until Monterey County officials lift the road closures.
Santa Cruz County officials have...
Hundreds line up for Narcan distribution
On Monday afternoon, a call came over police radio that emergency workers have become all too familiar with: a man had overdosed on Fentanyl and was unconscious.
Watsonville Police found the man in an alley behind a shopping center. They quickly administered Narcan, a drug...
Local band releases debut full-length album
Among the musical acts that performed at the first Power of Flower Festival at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in July was Pan Dulce, a band that has, in its short career, made quite a name for itself.
Photo story: Fire at historic hotel quickly quelled
Watsonville police assist firefighters at a structure fire at the Resetar Residential Hotel Wednesday afternoon on Main Street at West Lake Ave.
Watsonville Battalion Chief Almita Schaefer said that the fire, which started just after 3pm, was contained to one apartment on the second floor.
There...
City Council, D6: Next Mayor to be determined in November
Editor’s note: This is the first entry in a series of interviews with candidates running for office in the upcoming local elections. Interviewees will include candidates for the Watsonville City Council, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees, the Pajaro Valley Water...
Teacher, mentor, leader Mas Hashimoto honored
More than 200 people gathered Saturday in Watsonville’s Community Room to celebrate the life of Mas Hashimoto, who as a child was imprisoned with his family in a Japanese internment camp during World War II, and later used the experience as a lesson in...
Watsonville native takes reins as mayor of Northern California’s largest city
SAN JOSE—Watsonville native Matt Mahan has been sworn in as mayor of Northern California’s largest city.
The Harvard-educated 40-year-old businessman turned politician grew up on the outskirts of Watsonville in the 1980s and ’90s, just off Amesti Road near Pinto Lake. His mother taught at...
Deputies: Man drove stolen car to face charges for stealing a...
A man was arrested Tuesday for driving a stolen car to the Monterey County Superior Courthouse in Salinas, where he was scheduled to appear...





















