5 Things to Know Today: First Day of Spring, Plastic Bag Ban

Welcome to spring, and a new reality if you buy your groceries in the unincorporated area of the county. Here's what you need to know today, March 20.

• It's the first day of spring. We hit  about 10 days back and now it's officially the season of flowers, lambs and Easter. Celebrate the spring Solstice or just be content knowing winter is officially over.
• The county's plastic bag ban starts now. This doesn't affect grocery stores within Watsonville proper, but if you shop in Aptos or Rio Del Mar, you'll need to come prepared. Also, it's a good practice to get into because Mayor Eduardo Montesino that he would like to ban plastic bags in Watsonville as well. 
• Congratulations to the boys' basketball team. The Dragons won the alternative school league 2012 championship on Friday. RHS defeated Central Coast to capture its first basketball title since 2000.
• Watsonville TEC announced . The bilingual evening event will focus on becoming an advocate for your child's education and includes dinner and childcare. 
• The organizations Agri-Culture and the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau announced the winners of the annual . The contests, which are open to all public and private schools in Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley, was themed “Grown in Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley." Claire Corneau-Saiki, a fifth-grader at Baymonte Christian School in Scotts Valley won the poster contest, and Kirbie Daily, an eighth grader from was the poetry contest winner. See a complete list of winners here.

What else do people need to know today? Contact Watsonville Patch Editor Jennifer Squires at 332-1065 or jennifer.squires@patch.com to get the word out.