COVID-19

The sports world took a major hit Tuesday as the International Olympic Committee announced it will postpone this year’s summer games.  Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, and Abe Shinzo, prime minister of Japan, decided the Olympic Games in Tokyo will not take place until...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Amidst the ongoing health crisis, essential workers who do not own cars have remained reliant on public transportation and carpooling—two options that are both limited and not always safe. Bike Santa Cruz County (BSCC) hopes to alleviate that dependence. In June, the organization...

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced that starting Saturday all non-essential businesses, travel and gatherings will be subject to a month-long curfew. Counties in the “Widespread,” or purple, tier of the state’s Covid-19 reopening plan, will have to close all non-essential businesses and cease all...

WATSONVILLE—Gerald Hunter, the former director of Watsonville Post Acute Center, announced on Oct. 19 that he has stepped down from the position. On the facility’s website, Hunter stated that Rae Ann Radford has taken the job. The announcement did not give a reason for the...

WATSONVILLE—It took roughly a decade for Watsonville to fully recover from the Great Recession, and officials fear the Covid-19 pandemic’s mass closures could send the city into a similar financial quagmire. As restaurants and shops have closed, and auto sales—Watsonville’s top sales tax generator—have slumped,...

WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville on Sept. 26 will be hosting a Drive-Thru Ice Cream Social for older adults in front of the Watsonville Senior Center. The event will run from noon-3pm at 114 E. 5th St.  RSVP by calling the Older Adults Services Supervisor Katie Nuñez...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—With a continuing housing crisis on the horizon due to Covid-19, residents from nearly every background and region of the county are facing dire straits.  But perhaps the hardest hit have been farmworkers—many of whom were struggling long before the pandemic hit.  “ are...

CALIFORNIA—A total of 675 leaders from across California convened on Zoom June 3 in an effort to urge California Gov. Gavin Newsom to extend and expand Senate Bill 91. SB91, which went into effect in January, was the follow-up to Assembly Bill 3088’s eviction moratorium....

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville renters struggling to keep up with their monthly payments because of the Covid-19 pandemic could soon receive some relief. The Watsonville City Council at its Tuesday meeting approved the use of $100,000 from its general fund to establish an Emergency Rental Assistance Program for...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel has issued a new order closing parks and beaches in Santa Cruz County beginning 11:59 p.m. on April 8, through 11:59 p.m. on April 15, a period that includes Easter weekend and much of...