News

A powerful explosion and fire tore through a two-story apartment building in Capitola Village early Christmas morning. No injuries were reported in the 5:10am incident on the 100 block of Lawn Way. Capitola Police and Central Fire responded to reports of a structure fire and...

The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) on Dec. 19 announced a new rule that will provide notice to the public in advance of applications of certain hazardous and drift-prone agricultural pesticides.  The move was broadly welcomed in the farmworker communities of the San Joaquin Valley...

A group of city workers and volunteers spent the afternoon cleaning massive amounts of trash from a wooded hillside in Watsonville one sunny day in early December, hauling away several full dumpsters. “It’s a hot mess,” said Sally-Christine Rodgers, who founded the Pitch-In Initiative about...

A scam via mobile phones is sweeping the Central Coast and elsewhere, where people are being told they owe money for using Bay Area toll roads.  Scammers typically pose as toll collectors and send phone text messages stating the recipient owes money, with warnings of...

In 2023, the California legislature approved Assembly Bill 102—the Budget Act of 2023—which among other things allocated $20 million to Monterey County to help Pajaro recover from the flooding that occurred after the levee breached and caused widespread flooding. But one year later, just one-quarter...

Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf will remain closed indefinitely after waves on Monday sheared off a 125-foot section that was already closed and under construction from storm damage in 2023. In a press conference on Dec. 24, officials did not give a timeline for the popular...

Capitola firefighters early Christmas morning responded to a fire in a structure behind El Toro Bravo restaurant on the 100 of block of Monterey Avenue. According to Capitola Police Department,  emergency officials responded to the scent at about 5:10am. There were no injuries, and witnesses said...

Heavy surf on Monday smashed into the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, shearing off a 125-foot section off the end and sending an already-closed business into the ocean, along with a public restroom and two pieces of heavy construction equipment. Emergency officials rescued several people who...

The number of people who died while homeless this year saw a sizable decline from last year, when Santa Cruz County honored 121 people at its annual Homeless Memorial. Still, the 75 chairs at the center of the cavernous Portuguese Hall in Santa Cruz—each empty...