Local organizations rally for awareness of human trafficking
APTOS—Ten years ago, former President Barack Obama made a Presidential Proclamation deeming January National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, intending to raise awareness and equip people with the tools to recognize and combat the problem.
It was only 10 years prior to that, that...
PVUSD Trustees renew school resource officer contracts
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District board voted Wednesday night to renew contracts that will keep school resource officers in three high schools across the district. The two items passed 4-2 with trustees Jessica Carrasco and Gabe Medina voting no. Trustee Joy Flynn was...
Smaller classes, fewer days lead district’s plans for fall semester
WATSONVILLE—Many students unable to return to class when school starts on Aug. 14 due to Covid-19 restrictions will attend a virtual academy, an all-online option created by Pajaro Valley Unified School District as it plans for the coming academic year.
The PVUSD Board of Trustees...
UCSC fires 74 striking teaching assistants demanding higher wages
SANTA CRUZ—A graduate teaching assistant who worked at UC Santa Cruz until she was fired on Friday says that a protest for higher wages has grown since it started in December to include several more UC schools.
Brenda Arjona, who is in her third-year seeking...
Local young inventors get state recognition
WATSONVILLE—A group of young inventors who earned accolades in local and state competitions last year visited the state capital Monday, where they met with lawmakers and showed off their winning creations.
The visit to Sacramento was in advance of Kid Inventors Day on Jan. 17....
Community voices worries of syringes
WATSONVILLE—The future of Santa Cruz County’s syringe services program was in the community’s hands this week.
In two meetings held by the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency in Santa Cruz on Nov. 14 and Watsonville on Tuesday, officials asked attendees to outline what questions...
County celebrates 250th
Thousands of people lines the mainstreets of Aptos and Watsonville for their annual Fourth of July parades, some staking out their roadside seats the night before. Below is a collection of images from the events.
SPIRIT OF WATSONVILLE
All Watsonville photos by Tarmo Hannula
APTOS WORLD'S SHORTEST...
Realtors warn public of online rental scam
WATSONVILLE—Local realtors and brokers are urging the community to be aware of an online rental scam that is taking advantage of desperate renters.
The scam strips information from sale listings on various websites, repackages them as hyper-affordable rental listings and posts them on sites such...
Supervisors delay vote on arts funding cuts
Santa Cruz County supervisors on Tuesday postponed until June 30 a decision on proposed cuts to local arts funding after hearing from dozens of residents who urged them to preserve grants for arts organizations.
Under the proposal, funding for the Santa Cruz Museum of Art...
County faces economic restrictions as it inches toward state’s watchlist
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County is days away from being placed on the California Department of Public Health’s Monitoring List and facing further economic restrictions, County Health Officer Gail Newel said at Thursday morning’s press conference.
With 511 active Covid-19 cases as of Thursday—and more...
