COVID-19

WATSONVILLE—Jessica Martin was getting ready to go to bed Saturday night when she received a text message from a friend. Then another. And another. And another. “They just kept coming in,” she said. “It went viral, really viral.” Her family’s bakery, Rebeca’s Bakery off of Main...

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District is closing its schools for the remainder of the 2019-20 year, Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez announced Wednesday.  “Being a healthy community is key to thriving in it,” Rodriguez said. “Having students in the classroom is ideal and we miss seeing their...

SACRAMENTO—California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday ordered bars and restaurants in 19 counties to close their indoor dining options for at least three weeks, as the state faces increasing cases of Covid-19 and residents plan for the busy July 4 weekend. The state saw 5,898...

A mass vaccination site with the capacity to administer 1,000 injections per day will open at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville next week, but it is unlikely that it will reach its capacity anytime soon because of a continuing shortage of Covid-19...

CALIFORNIA—Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide “stay at home” order on Thursday evening, bringing California’s nearly 40 million residents in line with shelter-in-place orders recently issued by Santa Cruz and Monterey county officials. The directive goes into effect this evening, Newsom said at a press...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A Santa Cruz METRO employee has tested positive for Covid-19. The information surfaced in local media Friday and marks the first positive case in METRO’s staff of around 300 people. “Out of respect for the employee's privacy, we are not disclosing anything other than...

CAPITOLA—Efforts to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom are picking up steam, with proponents having gathered 911,000 signatures since June 10. The all volunteer, grassroots group behind the drive—Recall Gavin 2020—has until March 17 to gather about 1.5 million signatures to qualify for a special election. Another group,...

Charles Lafferty, the man arrested last week in the bizarre case regarding numerous vehicles being struck by projectiles over the past 11 months in Prunedale, made another court appearance in Salinas Monday. The Monterey County District Attorney's Office said Lafferty is now facing 79...

Spring began today and brief shower activity along with a dusting of snow in the mountains helped paint the picture. Tonight there is a 20 percent chance of showers before 8 p.m., the National Weather Service said. On Friday there is a 20 percent...

APTOS—The performing arts sector has taken a major hit due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Large gatherings—especially those indoors—are discouraged in order to slow the spread of the virus, and as such theaters and other venues have been forced to remain closed. The Cabrillo College Theater...