Local News

SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested two men suspected of killing a fellow inmate in a cell at Santa Cruz Main Jail designated for active gang members. Mario Lozano, 33, of Santa Cruz and Jason Cortez, 25, of Watsonville, face murder charges for...

WATSONVILLE—Two people were seriously injured in a dramatic three-vehicle crash early Thursday on Freedom Boulevard. Watsonville Police Sgt. Donny Thul said the male driver of a white SUV was traveling north on Freedom Boulevard north of Stanford Street around 6:30 a.m. when he attempted a...

SANTA CRUZ—A Watsonville man was arrested Monday on suspicion of homicide in a 16-year-old case regarding the death of his stepdaughter, Dilcia Mejia, in Florida.  Raul Mata, 46, has been charged with first-degree murder, the Miami-Dade Police Department said. The Homicide Bureau, Cold Case Unit,...

After working as a manager at Freedom Meat Lockers for nearly three decades, William Panis was ready to set off on his own. His new butcher shop—Willie’s Meat Market—is located at 20 Mariposa off Freedom Boulevard.  He offers a wide selection of meat, sausage and bacon,...

Editor's note: This story has been updated from a previous version. WATSONVILLE—A lengthy standoff between a man with a handgun who broke into his ex-girlfriend’s Watsonville home and heavily-armed police ended peacefully after more than nine hours. Around 1am Tuesday Jessie Andrade, 30, crashed through a...

WATSONVILLE—On many days, when groups of school kids crowd into Conchita’s Ice Cream in Plaza Vigil for an afternoon treat, handfuls of people experiencing homelessness show up, some pushing shopping carts loaded with their possessions through the store and others demanding free items. The people,...

SANTA CRUZ—As a crane hoisted four sections of a large mosaic-covered water dragon into place Sunday atop a colorful concrete gateway at an entryway to San Lorenzo Park, new life was pumped into a forgotten chapter of Santa Cruz history. Renamed the Chinatown Bridge by...

SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk will become the first amusement park in California to reopen after Covid-19 restrictions shuttered them statewide earlier this year, Boardwalk spokesman Kris Reyes said. Rides such as the famous Giant Dipper, which have sat dormant for months, will once...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputies arrested a man in Turlock Thursday on suspicion of murder in a cold case stemming back to 1995. Investigators were able to find forensic evidence linking John Laroche, 63, to the case, Ashley Keehn, a spokesperson for...

Before Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board President Georgia Acosta called for a vote to oust Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez, she sent a non-district authorized Zoom link to her fellow board members for the closed-session meeting.