Local News

The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) on Thursday approved a plan to develop an interim bicycle and pedestrian trail on segments 9–11 of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line from San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz to State Park Drive in Aptos. Thursday’s...

When Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrest undocumented immigrants—there were more than 65,000 in custody as of Nov. 16, according to the website tracereports.org—their children are often left behind with no plan in place to care for them.  The Childcare Safety Plan Coalition (CSPC)—a...

Cabrillo College on Tuesday named the candidate they hope will take the helm as president and Superintendent. If approved by the college’s Board of Trustees on Jan. 12,  Jenn Capps will start on Jan. 20, the college announced in a press release. Capps currently serves as...

The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) held its annual Stuff the Bus Food Drive in partnership with Woodstock’s Pizza, Second Harvest Food Bank and Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce Wednesday in downtown Santa Cruz. To help local families facing food insecurity during the...

Editor’s note: This story came in part from a report by San Jose State University Professor of Marine Geology Ivano Aiello for the website The Conversation The Jan. 16 fire at the Vistra battery energy storage plant in Moss Landing spewed an estimated 25 metric...

Caltrans cews are busy with a major sidewalk repair project  along Main Street (Highway 152) in Watsonville, where a chunk of land collapsed in at Struve Slough.  The rupture, between Clifford Avenue and Watsonville Square where Nob Hill is located, took out a length of...

Arturo Rosas was strolling across the campus of Watsonville High School on Wednesday, greeting students and getting acquainted with his new position as school resource officer (SRO). A SRO is tasked with providing a measure of security for schools, but is also there to serve...

In a tower at the center of Graniterock’s 1,000-acre Wilson Quarry in Aromas, Plant Operator Cesar Barajas sits in front of an array of 22 computer screens, each of them showing various aspects of the company’s vast and complex operation, which is manned by...

The 48th Annual Heritage Holiday Craft & Gift Fair will run Friday and Saturday at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.  This year the event will feature 110 crafters and 120 booths featuring crafts, gifts, antiques, collectibles, toys, holiday foods, edible gifts and more.  “It’s the perfect...

Cabrillo College’s Board of Trustees on Monday appointed Francisco “Paco” Estrada to fill the Trustee Area V seat. The seat—which includes the City of Watsonville and the southern portion of Freedom—was left vacant last month when former trustee Manuel Bersamin died. Watsonville Mayor Maria Orozco swore...