Local News

SANTA CRUZ—A Santa Cruz man was arrested Saturday after allegedly setting a house on fire while people were still inside. Ryan Lee Brand, 45, was charged with attempted murder and arson. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu of $750,000 bail, jail...

WATSONVILLE—Vanessa Quiroz-Carter leads Frank Barba in the race for the vacant District 2 Watsonville City Council seat. Unofficial results released by the Santa Cruz County elections department at 8:57pm on Tuesday night showed Quiroz-Carter had a 59-vote lead on Barba.  Only 339 votes had been counted...

Gravesites are marked with flags on Memorial Day at the Evergreen Cemetery in Harvest West Park in Santa Cruz Monday. Previously known as Decoration Day, it is a federal holiday in the U.S. designed to honor and mourn military personnel who died while serving in the armed...

FELTON—The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy killed Saturday afternoon when he was ambushed by a gunman has been identified as Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 38. Gutzwiller was a father of a young child, and was expecting a new child soon, said Sheriff Jim Hart. The death has...

WATSONVILLE—A new bilingual center, aiming to provide services and resources to families across Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties, will open its doors Monday in Watsonville. Located at 1205 Freedom Blvd., Raíces y Cariño: A Community Collective for Families (RC Fam) will offer a...

Christian Youth Theatre (CYT) will bring its version of Roald Dahl's “Matilda, the Musical” to the Crocker Theater at Cabrillo College Oct. 27-29.  Organizers say the performance promises to be a “magical experience for theater enthusiasts of all ages.” “Matilda,” based on Dahl’s 1988 novel, tells...

WATSONVILLE—An art studio and performance center for Pajaro Valley Arts, or an Italian restaurant, boutique hotel and creative office space for the Pajaronian?  The Watsonville City Council is expected to decide the fate of the historic Porter Building during the closed session of its virtual...

I looked through the window of the Watsonville High School cafeteria the other day to check on the huge renovation going on. A crew was there installing new floor tiles, a fraction of the overall job. It looked great. New modern lights, a high...

WATSONVILLE—A new community center is set to open in Watsonville on Wednesday, with the goal of supporting local at-risk youth and their families. The Luna y Sol Familia Center at 15 Madison St. is a program of the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County...

Watsonville Police lead a man to a patrol car after he reportedly fled from them on foot on the 1800 block of Main Street Tuesday. California Highway Patrol officer Alyssa Gutierrez said Loren Green Silveira, 33, evaded the CHP on June 8 in a...