Modified: Wednesday, Jun 19th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- The Special Olympics "Flame of Hope" worked its magic in Watsonville Wednesday, thanks to officers and others who ran while carrying it down Main Street to Freedom Boulevard, more than five miles, before handing it to California Highway Patrol officers in Corralitos.
The annual Law Enforcement Torch run benefiting Special Olympics Northern California, conceived in 1998, began Monday ...more
Modified: Wednesday, Jun 19th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- The Watsonville Police Activity League, which until recently was on the city's chopping block, got a boost Wednesday thanks to a $1,000 donation from Sherry Dang and Kirk diCicco, who own the 7-Eleven store on Freedom Boulevard and Main Street in Watsonville.
"We really believe in the PAL program," diCicco said. "And we like to keep ...more
Posted: Wednesday, Jun 19th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- Leticia Hernandez was 11 when she came to Watsonville from her native Jalisco, Mexico. After finishing school, she spent 24 years working in the strawberry fields.
But she always strove for more, and despite the challenges that comes with a life as a farm laborer she managed to save enough money to open Hector's Meat Market, ...more
Posted: Wednesday, Jun 19th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- As the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) conducts a roadshow of new control measures designed to protect residents from acute exposures to a soil fumigant predominantly used by the state's multibillion dollar strawberry industry, the quest for fumigant alternatives continue.
The new rules, which build on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) safety measures that took effect ...more
Posted: Wednesday, Jun 19th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- A plan to bring a Walgreens drug store to downtown fell through after two sewer lines directly beneath the property proved too costly to relocate for the developer.
The sewer lines aren't designed to support the weight of the building, said Kurt Overmeyer, economic development manager, and would need to be relocated.
"That just made ...more
Posted: Wednesday, Jun 19th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- War stories tend to focus too much on the misery of the situation, said author Don Young, and that is a problem.
Personal narratives become lost in the backdrop of describing one horror after the other.
Through his new book, "The Ascending Star," Young wants to give a human touch to his characters who witness the ...more
Modified: Wednesday, Jun 19th, 2013
AROMAS -- The San Benito County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously passed an oil and gas ordinance that creates a framework for close examination of every oil and gas extraction project proposed in the county -- whether traditional drilling, fracking, acid extraction, steam injection or other methods.
A key feature of the ordinance requires that property owners ...more
Posted: Wednesday, Jun 19th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- A Salinas man was arrested Tuesday night after he was found to have a loaded handgun in his car.
According to Sgt. Eric Taylor, police pulled over a silver 2002 Honda Accord for a vehicle code violation at Main Street and Riverside Drive around 10:24 p.m. The driver, 18-year-old Marcos Guzman Gonzalez, was found to be ...more
Modified: Tuesday, Jun 18th, 2013
SANTA CRUZ -- The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Tuesday agreed unanimously to consider crafting a list of proposed regulations for medical marijuana dispensaries, which would largely deal with land-use issues.
The proposed regulations would consider cultivation in residential and agricultural areas, look at environmental degradation caused by unrestricted grows, make sure any new dispensaries and grows ...more
Posted: Tuesday, Jun 18th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- The fire-damaged National 9 Motel near Main Street and Freedom Boulevard has reopened amid plans for its demolition to make way for a more upscale inn.
Motel owner Suresh Patel said Monday that he has secured financing, generated interest from the La Quinta and Marriott hotel chains and prepared preliminary designs for an upscale, three-story hotel at the ...more
Posted: Tuesday, Jun 18th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- A new committee tasked with developing strategies leading to the revitalization of Watsonville's downtown met for the first time on Saturday morning at the old City Council chambers.
The Watsonville Downtown Vision Working Group, so named at the Watsonville City Council meeting on April 23 when it was first discussed, was conducted by the city's half-time economic ...more
Modified: Monday, Jun 17th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- Organizers say Saturday's fourth-annual greenhouse open house was a vibrant success that drew more than 1,000 visitors to six local nurseries and helped plant the buy-local seed in many of them.
The parking lot was packed at one of those growers, Kitayama Brothers Farm on San Andreas Road, as visitors sorted through scores of bargain-priced daisies ...more
Posted: Monday, Jun 17th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- "This is the side you don't usually get to be on," said Rayvon Williams, manager of the Watsonville Municipal Airport, during the facility's open house on Saturday.
With all the first responders on display and the ramp lined with rows of aircraft and classic cars, the event showcased all the airport has to offer while ...more
Posted: Monday, Jun 17th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- Lowe's Companies, Inc., which operates 110 hardware stores in California, announced Monday that it has purchased the majority of Orchard Supply Hardware stores.
The announcement came the same day Orchard filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Lowe's made the purchase of Orchard's assets for approximately $205 million in cash, plus the assumption of payables owed to ...more
Modified: Friday, Jun 14th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- It was a battle of the ages, and the warriors came ready for a fight.
Armed with pruning shears and well-stocked with buckets full of flowers and decorative greens, they nobly trimmed and artfully arranged roses, sunflowers, kangaroo paw and other flowers and greens into their vases.
The "battle" was in fact a flower arranging ...more
Modified: Friday, Jun 14th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- The economic recession has claimed another victim as the YWCA Thrift Store at 30-B E. Fifth Street is closing its doors after serving the Watsonville community for more than 50 years.
Proceeds from the store, which operates as a nonprofit, went to support YWCA programs including YW-Teens and the preschool program.
The thrift store's final day ...more
Posted: Friday, Jun 14th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- Ace Hardware's relocated Freedom Boulevard store will hold a soft opening this weekend.
The store, now located on 1820 Freedom Blvd. next to Walgreens, was originally located in the Freedom Center. The new location was formerly the site of Furniture City, which closed in late 2011.
Ace Hardware owner Manuel Rodrigues said the move was ...more
Modified: Thursday, Jun 13th, 2013
A Hollister man was arrested Wednesday and charged with possession of a massive amount of stolen property after a story about a house burglary in this newspaper led Santa Cruz County Sheriffs deputies to him.
Mark Trinidad, 43, was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of methamphetamine and being under the influence ...more
Posted: Thursday, Jun 13th, 2013
WATSONVILLE, The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees Wednesday unanimously and without discussion approved a proposal to give a 4 percent raise and $500 to its school workers.
Under the agreement, the district will restore hours for elementary office assistants, hire three new high school custodians, reinstate stipends for athletic coaches, increase middle school counseling services and ...more
Modified: Wednesday, Jun 12th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- Mimi French brought her 2-year-old grandson to Gizdich Ranch Tuesday with a group of other children from Secret Garden Too Preschool for a field trip that included berry picking.
Her visit ended with an unexpected armload of fresh-baked olallieberry pies from the ranch's small deli.
"I usually buy them at the market," she said. "But ...more
Posted: Wednesday, Jun 12th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- The 2013 Strawberry Festival at Monterey Bay poster has been selected.
Designed by Watsonville artist Priscilla Martinez, the theme of the poster is "Berry Sweet Ride."
The free festival runs August 3 and 4 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Arts and crafts, delectable strawberry treats, a children's carnival, strawberry eating contests, live musical entertainment and ...more
Posted: Wednesday, Jun 12th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- Tentative agreements reached Tuesday prevented some firefighters from being laid off and spared police officers from having to take more furlough days.
The late-Tuesday agreements were announced before the Watsonville City Council made a final decision on the budget.
Included in the tentative agreement, the police department will continue to have eight furlough days and ...more
Posted: Wednesday, Jun 12th, 2013
CORRALITOS -- Introduce an unfamiliar musical sound to Dayan Kai, and chances are he will recreate it, sooner rather than later.
"I'm a musicologist," he said. "I can't help it. Whenever I hear a new sound, I want to learn all there is to it."
The versatile musician, arranger and producer will perform Friday at the Corralitos ...more
Posted: Wednesday, Jun 12th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- "Work can change young people's lives," said JoAnn Allen, manager at the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, who has worked on youth employment programs since the 1990s.
Currently, Allen is trying to drum up community support for Work4Youth, a summer jobs program that puts at-risk youth ages 14-24 in meaningful work placements in the ...more
Modified: Wednesday, Jun 12th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- In the wake of the defeat of Measure T, the ballot measure that proposed expanding Watsonville's urban limit line, allowing for the annexation of farmland, a new report looks at just how vital agriculture is to the county's economy.
According to the report, Santa Cruz County agriculture pumps $1.46 billion into the local economy and supports 11,085 ...more
Posted: Monday, Jun 10th, 2013
APTOS -- Hit hard by the recession, the Aptos Academy will close its doors after summer.
According to principal Shea Pase, the private school never recovered from the national recession in 2008, combined with giving away too many scholarships.
"We weren't financially prepared," she said.
In 2008, the preschool through eighth-grade school had a student body ...more
Posted: Monday, Jun 10th, 2013
SANTA CRUZ -- Paraplegic military veteran Angela Madsen began an unaccompanied and solo journey from the Santa Cruz Harbor to Hawaii Saturday in a specially fitted rowboat. Her mission is simple: she hopes to bring attention to war veterans and the military.
Hundreds of people, many of them in wheelchairs, gathered at the harbor's boat launch for a ...more
Posted: Monday, Jun 10th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- Every day after the final school bell rings, hundreds of young people throughout Watsonville are far from finished with their day.
Instead, some play basketball and some play soccer, while others practice martial arts. Still others might go on field trips to San Francisco Giants games.
Those activities are conducted the Watsonville Police Department's Police Activity ...more
Modified: Monday, Jun 10th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- Maria Sanchez is so tenacious that in her nineties, she decided to finally get her American citizenship, studying hard to pass the exam.
She's tenacious enough, in fact, that she even defied death a few years ago to bounce back to life, according to her grandchildren. She was joined by many of them, as well as some of ...more
Posted: Monday, Jun 10th, 2013
SANTA CRUZ -- An Illinois man pedaled his unicycle through Watsonville and into Santa Cruz Tuesday on day 62 of his around-the-country journey.
Zack Ingles said he began his trip in San Diego on his 20th birthday after taking a train there from his hometown of Rushville, Ill.
"I decided that since I would no longer be ...more
Modified: Friday, Jun 7th, 2013
APTOS -- As mid-county residents look to decrease their water use over the summer in response to Soquel Creek Water District's declared water shortage warning, impacting the district's approximately 38,000 customers, landscape irrigation and the traditional lawn may be on target for a rethink.
"Lawns take a lot of water," wrote Ron Duncan, conservation manager for the water district, ...more
Posted: Friday, Jun 7th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- A year after a groundbreaking ceremony at Schapiro Knolls, an affordable housing community on Minto Road, finishing touches are now under way.
Expected to welcome its first residents by summer, Schapiro Knolls will provide 88 affordable homes for individuals and families.
The rental community, developed by Foster City-based MidPen Housing Corporation, consists of 18 ...more
Modified: Friday, Jun 7th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- The city of Watsonville announced Friday that it had reached an agreement with the Services Employees International Union, Local 521, as the City Council prepares to make a decision Tuesday on the budget.
The two-year agreement with SEIU continues a 10 percent reduction of the workweek, with employees in the unit working a reduced work week ...more
Posted: Friday, Jun 7th, 2013
WATSONVILLE -- The man accused of molesting an 8-year-old girl in Watsonville is suspected of a similar crime in Salinas, Santa Cruz County Assistant District Attorney Raphael Vazquez said Friday.
Jonathan Michael Cash, 20, pleaded not guilty Friday to five felony charges including lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 and oral copulation with a child ...more
|
|
.JPG)
Crosswords
Entertainment
Gas Prices
Lottery
MPG Ratings
Recipes
Sports
Stocks
World News