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In 2020, the CZU fires ravaged the Santa Cruz Mountains, destroying 1,490 structures and an untold number of trees. A little more than two years later, many of those downed trees washed down streams into the ocean and, during the storms in January and February,...

A Watsonville woman nearly lost thousands of dollars Wednesday by falling victim to a version of the so-called “grandparent scam.” According to the Federal Communications Commission, scammers posing as a loved one in a crisis call a relative to ask for money, telling their targets...

Watsonville Plaza is aglow with thousands of colorful lights as part of the City of Watsonville's annual holiday celebrations. Next on the calendar is the annual Santa Tour around the city Dec. 13-15, where Santa and his elves and others tour area schools and...

A census of Santa Cruz County’s homeless population taken in February shows a 21.5% decline since the last count in 2021. Still, one in every 146 Santa Cruz County residents still do not have access to housing, according to the 2023 Homeless Count and Survey,...

A man died at Moran Beach along East Cliff Drive in Live Oak Friday. Ashley Keehn of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff'’s Office identified the victim as Hans Materne, 45, of Atlanta, Ga.   The Sheriff’s Office said deputies, Harbor Patrol, State Parks, and fire personnel were...

Live music, information tables, food and speeches was the tune of the day in Romo Park in downtown Watsonville at the annual Labor Day gathering Monday.  Put on by the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council, the event showcased the essence of Labor Day—to pay tribute...

In the 34 years since it was created, Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes has served hot lunches to hundreds of people and provided food and household goods from its pantry. Roughly 10,000 people receive help every year. This includes holidays and during times of crisis,...

CHP will be on full alert for Memorial Day The California Highway Patrol will conduct a Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP) starting at 6pm on Friday and continuing through 11:59pm on Monday, which is Memorial Day. During that time, all available CHP officers will be out...

WATSONVILLE—After seeing declining enrollment in the lower grades of its Virtual Academy, Pajaro Valley Unified School District has canceled that portion of the online school. But the District will keep the school’s 7-12 grades, since that portion has more robust student numbers. The District Board of...

More than 50 people from Pacific Gas & Electric, Watsonville Works and other groups hit the streets of Watsonville Thursday morning with a single target in mind: trash. The three-hour community cleanup, headed up by Ramon Gomez, chief of staff for Supervisor Felipe Hernandez, fanned...