County prepares for potentially historic El Niño
Santa Cruz County officials are preparing for what could be a historically strong El Niño this winter, with crews strengthening levees, clearing drainage channels and improving emergency warning systems in communities still recovering from the devastating storms of 2023.
The Santa Cruz County Board of...
UCSC finds new detection technique for toxic algal blooms
UC Santa Cruz researchers found a new technique that forecasts harmful algal blooms (HABs) up to seven weeks in advance.
This new method uses copepods, zooplankton that eat toxic algae, as a part of the measuring system.
Copepods produce a chemical called copepodamide, which the algae...
Aptos High bringing ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ to life
What happens when a lovable nerd discovers a sentient, carnivorous plant that brings him the attention he craves, but in return demands blood sacrifice?
That’s the question that drives “Little Shop of Horrors,” a musical the Aptos High School drama team is presenting this week.
While...
It’s that spooky time of year
With the spookiest month of the year halfway over, a chain of Halloween events by the City of Watsonville are fast approaching.
As scores of area residents have decorated their yards with mammoth skeletons, spider webs, swarms of bats, spiders, jack-o’lanterns and ghouls, city officials...
Community meets to discuss Minto Road battery plant
About 75 people gathered at Pinto Lake City Park on Oct. 10 to voice concerns and opposition to a proposed Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Watsonville, a facility opponents say could be as large as 10 football fields.
Organizers described the proposed facility at...
PVUSD sees gains in college readiness, attendance
Pajaro Valley Unified School District students are showing improvement in several key academic areas, including college and career readiness, science and English language arts, according to the latest data from the California School Dashboard.
The district also saw a nearly 4% decrease in chronic absenteeism,...
Santa Cruz County building evacuated after suspicious substance found
The Santa Cruz County Governmental Center on Ocean Street in Santa Cruz was evacuated Friday morning—along with the adjacent Superior Courthouse—after a suspicious white substance was reportedly mailed to U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta’s office.
According to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, deputies and firefighters...
Alliance for Health releases H.R. 1 predictions
About one in three people who rely on Santa Cruz County Alliance Medi-Cal—25,000 people—will lose benefits by the end of 2028, said Central California Alliance for Health CEO Michael Schrader.
The Central California Alliance for Health is expecting to retain 44,700 of its 78,500 Medi-Cal...
PV Arts gears up for Day of the Dead
In keeping with a long tradition, organizers at PV Arts are setting up for their annual Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, exhibition.
“Caminos de Recuerdo” (Paths of Remembrance) invites artists, participants, and visitors to reflect on the journeys that connect everyone...
Buddhist Temple celebrates 120 years
A large photo display was part of the 120th anniversary celebration of the Watsonville Buddhist Temple Saturday. Speakers, a proclamation from the City of...
