About Town

Tarmo Hannula: I learned in the newspapers the other day that Germans are credited with starting the tradition of Christmas trees in the 1500s. • At midnight Tuesday, as Christmas Eve slipped into Christmas Day, I heard an interesting bit on my police radio from a...

A painting crew has been busy adding a fresh coat of paint and a new look Thursday and Friday to the long-standing Beach Street Cafe on West Beach Street. Help is on the way for small businesses hit by sweeping closures, layoffs, and downsizing because...

Tarmo Hannula: There’s a slight chance of rain this evening, the National Weather Service said. But the big news is several more episodes of rain next week starting Tuesday and then picking up again late Wednesday through Friday. • Video footage and evidence recovered on the...

As part of Engineer’s Week, the engineering crew with the City of Watsonville staged their 17th annual egg drop contest Wednesday. People from local groups, offices and schools tested their skills in wrapping an egg in various materials and then hurling it off the...

Tarmo Hannula: February is Black History Month. I’ve seen a few venues around town that honor this important page on the calendar. The main branch of the downtown Santa Cruz Public Library has a special display set up showcasing a bunch of related books,...

Tarmo Hannula: This evening marks the first First Friday Art Tour of Santa Cruz of the New Year. The free, informal event is an arena for the public to visit area artists and take in the bounty of their work at various venues, including...

Tarmo Hannula: Though the day started out sunny in Santa Cruz, as I cruised into Watsonville on the METRO bus 69A the city was dark, cold and gray beneath a heavy cloud layer. The streets were still slick with rainwater. The National Weather Service...

Today is National Thank a Mail Carrier Day. It was established by Benjamin Franklin who was the first Postmaster General in America. Here are a couple facts about the day, according to National Day Calendar: In 1775, the Second Continental Congress established the Constitutional Post–the...

TARMO HANNULA: Temperatures sunk into the 30s overnight. The National Weather Service said rain will drench our region Thursday, starting up before 8 a.m. • More than 17.9 million acres have now burned in Australia’s bush fires, an area larger than Belgium and Denmark combined. So far...

Yesterday I walked past a man reading a book on the sidewalk in downtown Watsonville. Curious, I stopped and asked him what he was reading. Annoyed, he looked up and yelled a bunch of things at me in a foreign language and then showed...