Local News

PAJARO—One person was killed early Sunday morning when a suspected drunk driver crashed head-on into their vehicle in Pajaro, California Highway Patrol officer Jessica Madueño said. Officers say the suspect, identified as Israel Cruz, 47, was driving east in a Toyota pickup on Hall Road...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council gave staff the green light to begin the process of issuing taxable bonds in hopes of paying off steep unfunded pension obligations over the next three decades. According to a 2020 California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) report, the City of...

Several people gathered in a large meeting room at Watsonville Public Library recently, where they delved into the cultural significance of Japanese paper lanterns, and then got a chance to make their own. The free, one-day, 3-hour event provided attendees with wood popsicle sticks, paper,...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The California Highway Patrol will ratchet up its roadway vigilance over the New Year’s weekend by conducting a Maximum Enforcement Period from 6:01pm Dec. 30 through 11:59pm Jan. 2. During that time, all available CHP officers will be out on patrol with...

A 30-year-old-man is currently being treated at a Bay Area trauma burn center after an explosion burned half of his body late Tuesday night in Watsonville.

Meals on Wheels for Santa Cruz County will mark its 50th anniversary this year, and organizers are selling tickets for a Feb. 13 fundraising luncheon they say is increasingly critical as demand grows and funding pressures mount. The 13th annual Food From the Heart Luncheon...

Manuel Adrian Perez, 22, remains in Santa Cruz County Jail on attempted murder charges after Judge Rodney Stafford kept his bail at $375,000.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday set the stage for a streamlined process for rebuilding the homes and other structures damaged in the CZU August Lightning Complex fire. The item was part of the consent agenda and therefore garnered no...

Watsonville Police officers arrested a man in an attempted murder investigation.  MIchelle Pulido, spokeswoman for Watsonville Police, said officers responded Saturday night to a stabbing outside a business on the 1000 block of Main Street, where they found a 32-year-old man suffering from multiple stab...

Second Harvest Food Bank invited members of the agricultural community to a barbecue Thursday evening, thanking them for their efforts to feed hungry people throughout Santa Cruz County.