Annual Santa Cruz Fungus Fair approaches
The Santa Cruz Fungus Fair is set to run Jan. 9-11 in Santa Cruz.
Without fungus, there would be no bread, cheese, beer, or wine, the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz says. Further, anti-cholesterol medicine was developed from mushrooms.
The public is invited to the Santa...
Christmas Bird Count numbers are in
A local group of birders joined forces to make a list of area birds as part of the national Christmas Bird Count on New Year’s Day, tallying 1,239 individuals.
That number of feathered denizens was a significant increase from last year, when the group counted...
Watsonville holds vigil for woman shot and killed by ICE
Around 150 people gathered in Watsonville Plaza Thursday night in a vigil for 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good, who was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Wednesday in Minnesota.
Carrying candles and homemade signs honoring Good—a mother of three—the gathering marked...
2026 Santa Cruz County Fair theme contest underway
Organizers at the Santa Cruz County Fair are asking the public for ideas for a theme for the 2026 County Fair.
Anyone who has a “phrase that pops” or a “rhyme that shines” is invited to submit it.
“Imagine your words splashed across every poster and...
Photo story: Floodwaters cover Elkhorn Road
After their truck stalled in this flooded section of Elkhorn Road Saturday these men wait for help. Scores of motorists were turned away at the intersection at Hidden Valley Road at mid day. Heavy rains have flooded area roads, including Paulsen Road and San...
Protesters across the U.S. decry Venezuela invasion, Maduro capture
This story has been updated with quotes from people who attended the event.
Protests erupted across the United States on Saturday following President Donald Trump’s military attack on Venezuela late Friday.
Demonstrations were held throughout the Monterey Bay region, including in Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Salinas and...
Watsonville Community Hospital celebrates first new baby
Thomas James Paul Watson became Watsonville’s first baby of the new year, weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces and measuring 20 inches long when he was born at 3:36 a.m.
He is the first child for mother Zenaida Mena, 27, and Nick Watson, 29. Swaddled and...
County releases draft battery storage ordinance
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 13 will review proposed rules governing large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS), which are expected to allow the controversial facilities to be built in unincorporated areas of the county while giving local officials a measure...
Watsonville City Council to mull plastic bag, oversize vehicle parking ordinances
The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday is set to consider two ordinances aimed at reducing plastic waste at retail checkouts and tightening rules on...
