News

WATSONVILLE—On April 7, businesses from across the region will come together for the first time in three years at the Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture’s annual Business Expo and Job Fair. This year’s theme is “Spring Fling,” celebrating the return of not only...

WATSONVILLE—Mas Hashimoto, a devout defender of civil rights whose name became synonymous with his hometown after decades of service in education, community volunteerism and historic preservation, and whose unrelenting willingness to speak, write and teach about the plight of Japanese Americans during World War...

Santa Cruz County officials are considering a plan to borrow money to help pay for costs of the CZU fires, the Covid pandemic, the storms and floods from early 2023 and other federal disasters that have beset the county. County staff will return to the...

Thomas James Paul Watson became Watsonville’s first baby of the new year, weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces and measuring 20 inches long when he was born at 3:36 a.m. He is the first child for mother Zenaida Mena, 27, and Nick Watson, 29. Swaddled and...

SACRAMENTO—Earlier this month, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley), Representatives Billy Long (R-MO), Mike Levin (D-CA), and Dan Newhouse (R-WA) introduced bipartisan legislation aiming to help preserve agricultural fairs across the country and offset the devastating financial losses they have experienced due to Covid-19. The Agricultural...

WATSONVILLE—Hidden Fortress Coffee Roasting has opened a new branch in the Cabrillo College Watsonville Center at 318 Union St.  They started roasting coffee in 2012 and have one location in Watsonville and another in Seaside. Their first store opened three years ago at 125 Hangar...

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday tabled an ordinance that would have banned the sale of Kratom, opting instead for a watered-down version that prohibits the sale to anyone under 21 but includes a public education component.  Kratom is a plant grown...

The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) is a Mexican holiday observed across the globe every year in which families honor their deceased relatives with food, drink and various celebrations. For the past few years, the Watsonville Film Festival (WFF) has organized a...

TARMO HANNULA I saw another large temporary chalk art drawing in front of the Main Branch of the Watsonville Public Library last week. The point of the artwork is to draw attention to the ongoing 2020 Census. Several such art installations have been created around...