County Supervisors appoint new sheriff
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously appointed Undersheriff Chris Clark to take the agency’s lead role, a decision that was backed by several members of the public and the leaders of numerous agencies that addressed the board.
This included both Santa...
Crash on Freedom Boulevard kills Cabrillo football player
A 23-year-old man killed early Saturday morning in a head-on crash in Aptos has been identified as Luke Salem, a Harbor High School graduate who played football for Cabrillo College.
The California Highway Patrol said a 49-year-old man was driving a red 2017 Honda CRV...
At 75, Watsonville artist Aranda keeps it fresh
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville artist Guillermo Aranda sat in his second-floor studio on West Lake Avenue last week working on a new painting of a heron. The unfinished work was spread out on a table covered with various paints, sketches and several drafts of birds in flight—one...
Hours-long standoff in Watsonville ends peacefully
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...
Art & Rebellion ‘Clowns’ stage theatrical protest at aerospace and defense systems facility
Art & Rebellion, a Santa Cruz-based self-described resistance group staged a peaceful theatrical protest at Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company in Hollister Thursday.
Garbed in brilliant colors, goofy hats, glittery jackets, bright red noses, curly wigs, and waving umbrellas, batons and plungers, the cast of...
Watsonville man arrested in 16-year-old Miami murder case
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,...
Sweeping federal drug bust includes arrest in Watsonville
WATSONVILLE—A sweeping drug and weapons bust centered on the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, and headed up by the FBI resulted in the arrest of scores of suspects over the past few weeks, including an arrest in Watsonville Wednesday.
At a press conference Thursday the FBI was...
County will purchase West Marine building, consolidate Watsonville services
WATSONVILLE—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to purchase properties on Westridge Drive in Watsonville, and to relocate several county services there.
The move, which will consolidate five separate departments into a building at 500 Westridge Drive, is expected...
Tsunami warning issued after Russian earthquake
Officials from the National Weather Service have issued a tsunami warning after magnitude 8.7 earthquake occurred at 4:25pm 80 miles southeast of Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka in Russia.
The resulting tsunami is expected to hit California’s coastal regions at about midnight.
According to the National Weather Service, a...
Redman-Hirahara house facing final chapter
The Redman-Hirahara house has sat on a 14-acre parcel on the outskirts of Watsonville since William Weeks built it in 1897 for farmer James Redman.
Since then, the Queen Anne Victorian has become an iconic piece of Watsonville history, epitomizing the agricultural epicenter the region...
MVC boys’ cross country runs away with PCAL Gabilan Division title
Monte Vista Christian wrapped up the Gabilan Division boys cross country title after putting on a fantastic performance at last week’s Pacific Coast Athletic...
