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SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The California Highway Patrol will ratchet up its roadway vigilance over the New Year’s weekend by conducting a Maximum Enforcement Period from 6:01pm Dec. 30 through 11:59pm Jan. 2. During that time, all available CHP officers will be out on patrol with...

State and city officials joined around 100 people recently to kick off repairs of the storm-damaged Capitola Wharf.  Attendees spoke about a multi-year journey that led to the groundbreaking ceremony.  “This wharf for 130 years has been an essential part of this community,” said Congressman Jimmy...

Zeke Fraser was hired as the new manager of the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, the board of directors announced Tuesday, capping off a search that began when former manager Dave Kegebein was fired in October. Fraser, a resident of Santa Cruz for nearly 30 years,...

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday appointed Georgia Acosta as its new president, and Oscar Soto as vice president. The annual organizational meeting was the board’s last of the year. Acosta was appointed with a 5-2 vote, with trustees Kim De...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Since its inception last year, more than 100 people have gone through Santa Cruz County’s Neighborhood Courts program, with 90 completing the requirements set out in their agreements and avoiding a permanent criminal record. Now, the program is looking for a team of...

WATSONVILLE—In the latest chapter in the drawn-out saga at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, a local group has created an online petition to remove Board President Don Dietrich. The petitioners say that Dietrich has shown a lack of leadership, and that he put the needs...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday will decide whether to grant a special use permit, a zoning change and a general plan amendment that would allow Ceiba College Preparatory Academy to remain at its Locust Street location permanently. If the Council votes no, it could...

The Watsonville City Council on Jan. 16 declined to place a resolution on the Feb. 13 meeting agenda to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict. The motion by Mayor Vanessa Quiroz-Carter failed 6-1, capping off a meeting that began when she called for...

A domestic quarrel between a man and a woman in Watsonville led to a police pursuit on Highway 1 Friday that shut down the northbound lanes for nearly an hour. Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies spotted the separate vehicles being driven by the man and...

WATSONVILLE—People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect who poisoned two dogs in a residential backyard in Watsonville. PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch said the dogs—named Bruno and Luna—died “in agony”...