News

SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Ariadne Symons on Monday announced she will retire from the bench at the conclusion of her current term in 2020. Symons issued a press release outlining her nearly four-decade career. “Serving for more than a decade on the bench...

SALINAS—A Watsonville man who seriously injured a woman in a DUI crash nearly one year ago was sentenced Thursday to more than five years in state prison, Monterey County Deputy District Attorney Merideth Sillman said. Noel Ledesma, 39, is in custody in Monterey County Jail.  He...

Santa Cruz County Supervisor Greg Caput announced Sept. 14 that he is endorsing Felipe Hernandez to succeed him in the November election. Hernandez, a former Watsonville mayor and current Cabrillo College trustee, is facing current City Councilmember Jimmy Dutra in the race to fill the...

LIVE OAK—Santa Cruz County’s first-ever inclusive playground officially opened Jan. 18 at Chanticleer Park in Live Oak.  LEO’s Haven, a playground designed to welcome children with disabilities such as blindness, mobility impairment and autism, is the centerpiece of the $4 million rebuild of the 4.5-acre...

SACRAMENTO—Outdoor dining and other services can resume after Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday ended the state’s regional stay-at-home order based on intensive care unit (ICU) capacity.  In its place, the state has returned to the Blueprint for a Safer Economy and the color-coded tier system...

After Santa Cruz County last year saw a drop in the numbers of unhoused people, the numbers this year from the annual Point In Time (PIT) count conducted in January stayed mostly static. The PIT Count is an estimate of the number of people experiencing...

A Santa Cruz man was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly stabbed another man at Depot Park, a spot heavily attended by families engaged in soccer matches and other activities.

WATSONVILLE—Thanks in part to a massive surge in online sales, the City of Watsonville is adding roughly $1.7 million to its 2020-21 fiscal year budget. The allocation, unanimously approved by the City Council at Tuesday’s virtual meeting, means some departments will bring back positions originally...

People who live in the vicinity of the Vistra battery storage facility at the Moss Landing power plant were on edge again Tuesday when they were told to stay indoors with their windows closed after smoke was seen coming from the property. The alert was...