Photo: Busy weekend for Boardwalk as rides reopen
Limited rides at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk reopened April 1 following state public health guidelines. Boardwalk rides have been closed since March 2020 due to Covid-19, although they operated for a brief time in November. Ride reservations, which have been selling out daily,...
Watsonville’s Crystal Bay Farm opens annual pumpkin patch
For more than 20 years, Crystal Bay Farm owners Lori and Jeff Fiorovich have offered the Pajaro Valley community a homegrown harvest tradition.
Every October, the couple transforms their farm into a family-friendly pumpkin patch, where people can come and pick out the perfect pumpkin,...
Nonprofit helping the community help itself
APTOS—In her more than two decades of working with nonprofit organizations, C.J. Runyon spent eight years with Walu International, which among other things helps provide hand-washing stations to rural communities in Papua New Guinea and Nicaragua, where poor sanitation leads to a myriad of...
In the family for six decades
Hilltop Mini Mart, 1007 Salinas Road, has remained family-owned since 1956.
MioCar is in Watsonville
The City of Watsonville has started a new electric vehicle car sharing program, where anyone over 21 with a valid driver’s license, a relatively clean driving record and a valid credit, debit, or bank card can access EV car-sharing.
Starting at $4/hour, MioCar allows the...
Try This | Sept. 27, 2019
"Try This" is a weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like.
Johanna Miller
Food: Ambrosia India Bistro
Even though it’s been many years since Little India left the East Lake Village Shopping Center, I still miss having such a great,...
Spicing up his life: Former tech engineer launches new food venture
APTOS—As a young man, Bapcha Murty moved from his native Chennai, India to attend UC Los Angeles and become an engineer. He went on to a career in the Silicon Valley tech industry that spanned more than two decades in several companies.
But when Murty...
Queen’s Shoes celebrates 15 years
In 2007 local fashion designer Sindy Hernandez opened Queen’s Shoes & More, a small boutique featuring a mix of her own and other designers’ clothing and accessories.
Hernandez gradually gained a loyal following of customers. And 15 years later, many of them remain, some becoming...
Hampton Inn & Suites begins taking shape
The 112-room business, being built by Elite Development Inc. between Beach Road and Riverside Drive, has now reached the insulation, electrical and plumbing phase, said co-owner Juggy Tut. Barring any unexpected hurdles, Tut said he hopes to see the place up and running by the end of the year or in early January. Roof work is slated to be completed in December.
Public defenders plan April 23 protest over caseloads, funding gaps
Public defenders in Santa Cruz County will join colleagues across California and the nation April 23 in a coordinated protest highlighting what they describe...




















