Photo story: Japanese cultural fair
JAPANESE CULTURE A group performs a traditional dance from Okinawa Saturday at the annual Japanese Cultural Fair at Mission Plaza Park in Santa Cruz Saturday.
Since its founding in 1986, the fair has opened a window for the community to deepen their awareness and understanding...
Pajaro Valley Collaborative’s ‘call to action’
If cuts to food assistance programs proposed under President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” are approved by the U.S. Senate, it would cripple the food distribution system that local organizations have spent decades building, and upon which thousands Santa Cruz County residents rely.
That was...
Watsonville High sends 522 into the world
Five hundred and twenty-two graduates of Watsonville High School filed across the stage at Geiser Field on the afternoon of June 6, putting to end the school year of 2024-25.
Prior to the ceremony — his second such year as principal — Joe Gergorio said,...
Community comes together to repaint Black Lives Matter mural
More than 40 volunteers spent hours Saturday refreshing the massive Black Lives Matter street mural that is sprawled along Center Street in front of Santa Cruz City Hall.
Traffic, weather, vandalism and wear-and-tear has left the five-year-old bright yellow mural faded and chipped.
Painting the mural...
County supervisors signal support for MHCAN, other ‘safety net’ services
The Santa Cruz County Supervisors on Tuesday signaled their support for three human-services programs at risk of being cut when the board meets June 10 to hammer out this year’s budget.
Under the current budget proposal, Mental Health Client Action Network (MHCAN) loses its $587,000...
PG&E shuts battery storage facility after failed restart
PG&E officials halted activities around the planned restart of its battery storage facility in Moss Landing on June 1, the same day it initiated those restart activities.
Company officials say they made the decision “out of an abundance of caution,” and did not give an...
DA: Tips on avoiding senior scams
Seniors in Pajaro Village, Bay Village and Pajaro Vista were brought up to speed on a number of current scams Thursday, from phone and text messages, U.S. Postal Service, credit and debit cards, and even door to door methods in a town hall meeting...
AIDS/LifeCycle reaches finish line after 31 years
Just over three decades ago, a group of people set out on a 545-mile bicycle journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles, a weeklong trek that took them along rugged coastlines, through verdant agricultural fields and along vast stretches of highway.
Then called the California...
Public input sought for Measure Q Vision Plan
The County of Santa Cruz invites community members to take part in a countywide effort to help shape the Measure Q Vision Plan, which will guide investments in clean water protection, wildfire resilience, public access and preservation of parks, beaches, and natural areas.
To support...
City Council approves revenue bonds to fund Ramsay, Plaza work
On Tuesday, 7-year-old Vincent Robles was playing in Callaghan Park in downtown Watsonville, clambering over the play structures and going up and down the slide.
But what he really wanted, his mother Jessica said, was to go back to Ramsay Park, with its big slide.
“He...
PV’s De La Torre, MVC’s Fullalove-Silveira take home top honors |...
Pajaro Valley sophomore Hemeria De La Torre and Monte Vista Christian graduate Kayla Fullalove-Silveira each received some of the highest honors in the Pacific...