Biden approves emergency declaration for California
President Joe Biden on Monday granted a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of California, a move that triggers the release of federal funds that could help the people and businesses affected by the series of winter storms that have ravaged the Central Coast...
New program offers dental care, hygiene kits to seniors
Dozens of volunteers at Grey Bears were busy Thursday morning around two long tables loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables—along with other pantry staples—making packages to be delivered to seniors throughout Santa Cruz County.
The large warehouse was filled with laughter and lively chatter more...
PVUSD Board appoints new leaders, gains new member
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees closed its year Wednesday by swearing in four trustees, three existing members and one of them freshly elected in November.
Olivia Flores took her seat after she and Daniel Dodge Jr. were sworn in by former...
Hundreds expected to participate in county-wide cleanup day on May 11
Aptos resident Laura Dover-Smith was walking on a trail in Watsonville’s sloughs on her lunch break one sunny Wednesday, an activity she tries to do daily.
She says the walk affords her views of wildlife, but also gives her a peaceful respite from the bustling...
New interim manager: the Santa Cruz County Fair is a go
The interim manager of the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds has a message for the community as the summer draws near: with a team of people ready to help and a community ready for the much-loved event, the fair is on track to open as...
Watsonville power outage leaves thousands in the dark
More than 6,000 people in the Watsonville area are without power due to an outage likely caused by the wind and rain storm that ravaged Santa Cruz County on Saturday.
According to PG&E spokeswoman Angela Lombardi, heavy winds ranging from 40-70 miles per hour downed...
School arts funding bill among seven propositions on Nov. 8 ballot
In 2008, as the economic recession was ravaging communities nationwide, school districts were forced to take a close look at their budgets, and in many cases make massive cuts to preserve the meat of their programs.
The first casualties of this across-the-board slashing were often...
Neighborhood Courts looking for volunteer panelists
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Since its inception last year, more than 100 people have gone through Santa Cruz County’s Neighborhood Courts program, with 90 completing the requirements set out in their agreements and avoiding a permanent criminal record.
Now, the program is looking for a team of...
Memorial honors those who died while homeless
By Aiyana Moya
SANTA CRUZ—A soft chorus of voices, coming from the Santa Cruz Threshold Singers, welcomes guests as they walk into the Santa Cruz County Vets building Dec. 21 where the annual Homeless Memorial is taking place.Â
This year marks the first year since the...
Watsonville teams with Caltrans on downtown road project
WATSONVILLE—Breaking from the usual modus operandi of allowing her colleagues to ask their questions and voice their concerns first, Watsonville Mayor Ari Parker started the city council’s questioning of a $25 million reimaging of downtown Watsonville’s street landscape. The people she’s talked to, the...
Queer Youth Leadership Awards set for Saturday
It has been almost three decades since local organizers launched the Queer Youth Leadership Awards, an event created to highlight young people whose work...