Local News

ROYAL OAKS—It was the early 1920s when Glenn Church’s great-grandfather, Clinton King, purchased a piece of land in a heavily-wooded area of North Monterey County. Nearly 70 years old at the time, King cleared out the plot—chock full of oak trees—by hand. “Whenever I’m out here...

Two years ago Amy Thomas, principal at Watsonville Charter School of the Arts, noticed that her students were getting a bit restless during and in between classes. She and staff began searching for something both educational and physical to engage the kids during the...

Thousands of people attended Fourth of July parades in Watsonville and Aptos Friday, lining sidewalks aliog main streets to see hundreds of participants. Below is a collection of photos from both events. Photos in Watsonville are by Tarmo Hannula, and the Aptos photos are...

Next year, work crews will kick off a $400 million project to rebuild the levees in South Santa Cruz and North Monterey counties and keep the rivers and creeks from escaping and devastating the surrounding communities. That long-anticipated work will be a relief to the...

SANTA CRUZ—Far West Fungi mushroom farm of Moss Landing is branching out. They recently opened their first-ever store in downtown Santa Cruz.  In the works for the past two years, the new spot will feature about 16 varieties of fresh mushrooms, dozens of dried mushrooms,...

If you notice the sunlight dimming Saturday well before sunrise, around 8:05am, it’s an eclipse that will be visible throughout the state, including the Monterey Bay Area. The Space Science Institute says the moon will pass between the sun and earth, causing an “annular solar...

A community project helped spruce up Hazelwood Park Mural on July 27 as part of the ongoing Watsonville Community Mural Paint Day.  Organized by Paul De Worken of Monterey Bay Murals, the one-day day event drew around 50 volunteers to Hazelwood Park, located at 297b...

APTOS—Almost two years after a fire, The Hideout restaurant in Aptos is back up to speed with a slightly expanded building, modern upgrades and nearly a full menu. The popular eatery reopened March 22. It underwent a major demolition and rebuild following the May 2019...

WATSONVILLE—The residents of Pajaro Village—a 55-and-older community of about 250 homes in Watsonville—could soon see an increase in their annual homeowners association dues. That’s because the association’s board of directors is considering hiring a management company to run things there. If the board approves the plan...