🌱 Tree Planting + Remembering Businesses Lost

Happy Friday, neighbors! Let's get this day started off right. Here's everything you need to know about what's happening around Watsonville today.

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First, today's weather:

A morning shower in places. High: 60 Low: 41.

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Here are the top stories today in Watsonville:

1. Watsonville Earth Month Offers Opportunity To Adopt Trees (Watsonville Patch)
2. Favorite Watsonville Businesses That Have Closed | Watsonville (Patch)
3. Watsonville senior Richie Ortiz earns All-PCAL First-Team honors | Boys basketball (The Pajaronian)
4. Santa Cruz County Chamber Of Commerce Opposes The Greenway Initiative (Press Release Desk)
5. Even after two shutdowns, Vistra's Moss Landing battery plant expects to nearly double. (Monterey County Weekly)
6. Live CIF boys basketball scoreboard: Sierra Canyon holds on, plays Harvard-Westlake in SoCal semifinals (MaxPreps)
7. Local tech startups share knowledge during Santa Cruz Works event (Santa Cruz Sentinel)
8. Firefighting training exercise underway at old Aptos library (KSBW Monterey)
9. Photo | Storefronts looking for tenants in Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz Sentinel)

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Today's Watsonville Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community — and to get access to this amazing technology — click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in Watsonville!

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Today in Watsonville:

• Big Kid Storytime - Watsonville City Main Calendar (4:00 PM)
• Big Kid Storytime - Watsonville Public Library (4:00 PM)

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From my notebook:

• City of Watsonville - City Gov't: "The Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter in Watsonville has reopened its doors to the public. Their Watsonville location at 580 Airport Blvd. operates Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed from noon to 1 p.m.). For additional..." (Facebook)
• Watsonville Rec: "It's a beautiful March morning at Pinto Lake! We're gearing up for the Egg Hunt Eggstravaganza here on April 16, 1 - 5 PM! #watsonvillerec #watsonvilleparksandrec #watsonvilleevents" (Instagram)
• City of Watsonville Parks and Community Services Department: "It's a beautiful March morning at Pinto Lake! We're gearing up for the Egg Hunt Eggstravaganza here on April 16, 1 - 5 PM! #watsonvillerec #watsonvilleparksandrec #watsonvilleevents" (Facebook)
• City of Watsonville - City Gov't: "Today is World Wildlife Day! There are over 22,000 endangered and critically endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Some local endangered species include the Santa Cruz Long-Toed Salaman..." (Facebook)
• Watsonville Family YMCA: "What's the best way to develop team-building, positive sportsmanship and increase your self-esteem? Sign up for our Spring Youth Soccer at the YMCA today! Registration closes on March 7!⚽️🥅🏆" (Facebook)
• Pajaro Valley Chamber: "We're filling up quickly! 2022 Business Expo and Job Fair is right around the corner" (Facebook)
• City of Watsonville - City Gov't: "As of today, there are 1,433 active cases in Santa Cruz County. Of those, 473 cases are in Watsonville. Average number of new daily COVID-19 cases in the last 14 days has decreased by 70% in our county. Testing locations can be found her..." (Facebook)
• Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency: "In April 2021, after a year long committee process, the PV Water Board adopted new rates to fund projects and programs designed to help stop groundwater overdraft and seawater intrusion. The adopted delivered water charges and groundwate..." (Facebook)
• Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency: "Thank you KAZU and Erika Mahoney for covering the Pajaro Valley and PV Water's work to protect it." (Facebook)
• Pajaro Valley Chamber: "Another shout out to Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley!" (Facebook)

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More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• Aaron's Plumbing & Rooter —
• Add your business here

Events:

• Watsonville Taiko Beginner Classes - Spring 2022 (March 4)
• Free 3 EZ Steps for More Clients NOW Online Webinar (Live Q&A) (March 4)
• Watsonville Taiko - Intro to Taiko for Kids (age 7 and up) (March 4)
• Add your event

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Loving the Watsonville Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

• Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe
• Get your local business listed in front of readers
• Send me a news tip or suggestion at michael.wittner@patch.com

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Friday off right! I'll see you around.

— Michael Wittner

About me: I am excited to be returning to Patch as a Roving Editor, a job that will allow me to find out what's going on in communities all over the country. I worked as a Patch Field Editor from April 2020 to June 2021, covering Agoura Hills, Beverly Hills, Calabasas, Malibu, and Northridge-Chatsworth. Before then I was the Associate Editor of the Jewish Journal, a biweekly paper covering the Jewish community north of Boston. I grew up in Marblehead, Massachusetts, a small, seaside town north of Boston, and graduated from Bard College in New York, and then got my masters in teaching from New York University. Feel free to send any story ideas to michael.wittner@patch.com.