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Members from the Santa Cruz Warriors and Kaiser Permanente doctors joined forces with staff at Second Harvest Food Bank Tuesday morning in Watsonville to bag food for their third such event to help area families in need. The food is supported by Kaiser Permanente...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville Film Festival announced the launch of its 2023 Cine Se Puede Fellowship, a program designed to support emerging Latine filmmakers in the region.  The fellowship is a year-long program that provides funding, mentorship, industry connections, workshops and master classes, as well as peer...

Massive surf pummeled coastal regions of Santa Cruz County, leading to evacuations, road closures and damage Thursday.  High waves surged into Capitola Village, knocking over signs and benches, tearing open business fronts and cluttering the Esplanade with mountains of driftwood, sand and debris. Mary Ann Orr,...

When Vanessa Quiroz-Carter and Maria Orozco were sworn in Tuesday as Watsonville’s mayor and vice mayor, it marked the second time in the city’s history that women held both top spots. The last time was in 2019, when Rebecca Garcia and Trina Coffman-Gomez served in...

Motorists navigate a single lane section of Highway 152 (Hecker Pass) Monday. Officials opened the conduit between Watsonville and Gilroy to traffic in both directions following major landslides that closed the highway for more than a week. Drivers should be aware that there is...

SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance that would prohibit companies forcibly transporting children. Also under the ordinance, families could sue transport companies that use force against their children for $10,000, plus legal costs. The issue came to...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Healthcare District Board of Directors on Wednesday unanimously appointed Watsonville Community Hospital Chief Operations Officer Matko Vranjes to serve as interim CEO, after Steven Salyer announced his resignation last week. Vranjes will begin on April 11, Salyer’s last day. According to Board member...

A bald eagle takes a high perch in a eucalyptus tree at Twin Lakes, near East Cliff Drive and 9th Avenue in Santa Cruz on New Year’s Day. Such birds are an uncommon sighting in Santa Cruz County. A pair of nesting bald eagles...

PAJARO—Work crews have temporarily plugged a breach in the Pajaro River levee that allowed torrents of water to flood the tiny town of Pajaro and surrounding farmland on March 11, and officials in Monterey County are now banking on a law that allows the...

A powerful geyser of water blasted into the sky at Main and West Beach streets for more than five hours Monday after a big rig knocked over a fire hydrant just past 10am. The stream of water gushing from the ground was so strong that...