Five years a winner
Amesti Elementary School fifth-grader Kevin Bonita on Thursday took home more than a free 18-pound turkey when he won the school’s annual Turkey Trot race.
He also has the distinction of being the first to win the race every year he attended the school.
A young...
Supervisors delay decision on new battery storage facilities ordinance, add new regulations
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took the first step in crafting rules governing Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), giving their unanimous approval to a draft ordinance that aims to give a measure of local control to new facilities.
The ordinance before...
An ocean view, pollution included
There was a lot of trash talk Sunday in Santa Cruz. Not gossip. Literal trash.
In the ocean and deep into the food chain.
Close to 400 people gathered at the Rio Theatre on Nov. 9 to hear some of the latest research on the health...
Residents demand more oversight of new BESS facilities
Almost a year after the largest lithium-ion battery storage facility in the world caught fire at Moss Landing, spewing toxic material and forcing the evacuation of 1,200 people, Santa Cruz residents gathered to warn against a proposal to build three more of the facilities...
A tale of two Rubys: Walks to school 65 years apart show societal progress
Sixty five years ago, 6-year-old Ruby Bridges—who is Black—walked to William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans at the onset of her first-grade year through a gauntlet of adults throwing food at her and screaming that she didn’t belong.
On Friday, 10-year-old Bradley Elementary School...
PVUSD trustees mull more than 150 layoffs
In the middle of more than an hour of public comment Wednesday during the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting, Gabriel Barraza—a frequent critic of the district—gave a quote he said is well known in public administration.
“Show me your budget, and...
A day to honor veterans
The Veterans Day parade begins every year at 10am from St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish, and typically includes an assemblage of former military members from every branch of service, and from wars dating back to WWII.
Led by Watsonville Police and members of the U.S. Naval...
A call for peace
Close to 100 people march through downtown Watsonville Saturday in the 32nd annual Watsonville Peace and Unity March. Staged in Romo Park, the four-hour event featured speakers, information tables, traditional Aztec dances by the White Hawk Dancers, and altars for those lost to street...
Photo story: New lights illuminate downtown
New LED lights have been installed on all trees along Main Street from Riverside Drive to Freedom Boulevard. The previous lights, which covered only three blocks, have been damaged by street growth and vandalism, said Watsonville Parks & Community Services Recreation Supervisor Jessica Beebe....
Man arrested for agriculture-related crimes
A Prunedale man was arrested Nov. 26 on suspicion of a lengthy list of agriculture-related crimes including theft of a tractor.
On Oct. 22, deputies...
