$2 million grant to fund youth mental health center in Watsonville
In a little more than a year, the Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley will create a center where young people will be able to access a variety of mental health services.
The creation of the allcove youth drop-in center is made possible by a...
Santa Cruz County grappling with millions in unpaid federal disaster relief
Santa Cruz County officials are considering a plan to borrow money to help pay for costs of the CZU fires, the Covid pandemic, the storms and floods from early 2023 and other federal disasters that have beset the county.
County staff will return to the...
Briefs: Pesticide meeting set for Monday; Halloween events on tap
Pesticide meeting set for Monday
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation will hold a meeting Monday from 4-6:30pm at the Family Center in Ramsay Park regarding pesticide use and regenerative farming.
“It is a rare in-person opportunity for the public to demand pesticide reduction and elimination...
Santa Cruz County supervisors approve emergency declaration for storm damages
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved an emergency declaration for the damages sustained in the storm surges on Dec. 28 and 30.
County officials estimate that the waves, which inundated Capitola Village, slammed Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf and wreaked havoc...
Honoring MLK: Hundreds attend annual march in Santa Cruz
Before hundreds of people began a march Monday morning in downtown Santa Cruz to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a solemn hush fell over the crowd as political chanting briefly ceased and the good-natured whooping died down.
“Finally,” 6-year-old Brianna Hodgkins said, sitting astride...
Friend announces he won’t seek reelection
Santa Cruz Supervisor and current Board Chair Zach Friend announced Friday that he will not seek a fourth term on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.
Friend was first elected in 2012, and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2016 and 2020. His current term ends...
Light rain, on and off into Saturday
While talk of an approaching atmospheric river stole the headlines at the close of last week, the low pressure system that carried that news has now significantly weakened.
Sarah McCorkle, meteorologist with the National Weather Service of Monterey, said folks on the Central Coast will...
PHOTO: CASA’s For the Love of Children
Vivian Montes, owner of Keeping it Poppin, volunteers her efforts to arrange a balloon display during the 19th annual Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) For the Love of Children Luncheon at the Seascape Golf Club. The Wednesday event served as a fundraiser for the...
PHOTO: Car stop reveals handgun in Watsonville
Watsonville Police ready their guns during a high-risk car stop Wednesday on Main Street near Ohlone Parkway. Police initially got a tip that two males aboard a white Nissan sedan were handing a handgun back and forth between them, Michelle Pulido, spokeswoman for WPD...
Briefs: Polka band to perform at Oktoberfest Santa Cruz
Polka band to perform at Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest returns to Messiah Lutheran Church, 801 High St. in Santa Cruz, on Sept. 30 from noon to 4pm.
The event will feature German food, beer and wine, along with various activities for children and families.
The Thirsty Nine polka band...
Letters to the Editor Dec. 12-26
Praise for Watsonville Fire Chief Lopez
In 1996, I took my New School students to the Watsonville Fire Department on Second Street for an educational...




















