Watsonville Film Festival receives grant from California Arts Council
WATSONVILLE—The California Arts Council (CAC) recently announced the allocation of a record-breaking $30 million—the largest investment in the council’s 40-plus year history. A total of 1,534 grants have been awarded to nonprofit organizations and government programs across the state in support of the arts.
Watsonville...
Santa Cruz County jail system still free of Covid-19
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has released 93 people from its jail system since March 20, when county Health Officer Gail Newel imposed a series of restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Of the 93 that were released,...
Digital NEST aids community during Covid-19 shutdowns
WATSONVILLE—It took all of 48 hours for Digital NEST to move all of its courses, business and employees to a state-of-the-art online platform.
Other local companies, institutions and businesses were not as prepared to be shoved into the work-from-home, online-only era caused by the Covid-19...
State education officials release guidance for reopening schools
SACRAMENTO—The California Department of Education (CDE) on Monday released a set of guidelines for schools statewide to use as they seek to reopen in the fall, nearly three months after they closed to slow the spread of Covid-19.
While the state agency leaves actual policymaking...
Temporary aid inbound for PVUSD budget
WATSONVILLE—The road has been rocky this year for the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, as the state went from a rosy pre-coronavirus budget surplus in January to the potential of $19 million in reductions in May.
Those numbers have changed yet again, after Gov. Gavin...
Santa Cruz County closing more indoor services Tuesday
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Gyms, barbershops, beauty salons, places of worship and shopping malls across Santa Cruz County will all have to close their indoor services on Tuesday, county health officials announced Monday.
Retail and existing outdoor restaurant operations are unaffected by the new county health orders...
Two more county residents die from Covid-19 complications
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Two Santa Cruz County residents died Tuesday due to complications from the novel Coronavirus, Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel announced during a Wednesday press conference.
The fatalities bring the county’s death toll to six. Newel said Covid-19 was the leading factor...
County, UC Santa Cruz partner to further expand Covid-19 testing
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A partnership between UC Santa Cruz and the County of Santa Cruz—and funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act—will allow the county to expand its Covid-19 testing capacity to as many as 800 tests per day, county spokesman Jason...
Event-based businesses struggle to stay afloat
WATSONVILLE—The Covid-19 pandemic has hit businesses hard, from the largest of companies to the smallest mom-and-pop shops. Rules continue to change as cases flatten and then spike, leaving business owners dealing with back-and-forth openings and closures.
But for those who made their living off of...
PVUSD Trustees approve Virtual Academy positions
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously approved new job descriptions for several teachers, administrative workers and a principal that will staff the new Virtual Academy, an all-online school approved July 23.
The trustees also heard a budget report that...
PV’s Valeria Acosta already having a record-setting season | Girls soccer
Pajaro Valley senior Valeria Acosta is on the cusp of setting the school’s all-time record for career goals scored.
The Grizzlies star soccer player recorded...