Local News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The number of people contracting Covid-19 in Santa Cruz County is starting to slow, but the recently renewed mandate to wear masks indoors in public spaces is not going away anytime soon. Santa Cruz County health officials at a Thursday press conference told...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council approved wholesale changes to the City’s rules on accessory dwelling units (ADU) in hopes that those modifications will produce additional and safer housing options. Spurred by more than a half-dozen state laws approved over the past three years, the changes limit...

The Monterey Bay Cactus and  Succulent Society will hold its annual Spring Show and Sale April 12-14 in Watsonville. Attendees can learn from seasoned plant experts and view hundreds of cacti and succulents, as well as pottery and supplies at the three-day event. Also on board...

A little more than two years after the former Kmart store on Freedom Boulevard closed its doors, the space will soon have a new tenant.  Vallarta Supermarket, which has more than 50 locations throughout California—the most recent one in Salinas—will occupy half of the 100,000-square-foot...

Prosecution and defense painted sharply varying pictures of Adrian “A.J.”Gonzalez in closing arguments  in Superior Court Tuesday, and a jury will now determine whether the 25-year-old can be released after serving his sentence for the 2015 murder of 8-year-old Madyson “Maddy” Middleton. Prosecutor Tara George...

A cleanup at Watsonville’s Palm Beach was held Thursday morning in an effort to dispose of waste from the Fourth of July holiday.

Aiden Niklaus attended Tierra Pacifica through middle school, graduating with a class of 18. He says it was therefore a substantial culture shock coming to Aptos High School, where his class alone boasts nearly 300 students and the sprawling campus seemed tantamount to a bustling...

Watsonville Fire Capt. Matt Ryan (right) and other firefighters help size up a fire that broke out on the second floor of a home at 129 Landis Ave. Thursday.

Hundreds of young people packed the three buildings at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Saturday for the annual STEAM Expo for a chance to show off their creativity and innovation. Short for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, the STEAM Expo was originally called the...

Special events 8th Annual Calamari Dinner (Feb. 15) The Sons and Daughters of Italy will host the 8th Annual Calamari Dinner at the Watsonville Woman’s Club. Proceeds will go toward Andrew Malatesta Agricultural Scholarship. The menu includes deep-fried calamari fillets and pesto pasta with salad. There...