Local News

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District students will wait at least two extra months to return to their classrooms, the district’s trustees unanimously voted Wednesday. The district was planning to begin a hybrid version of in-person learning starting in January, but a recent surge of Covid-19,...

A state budget approved Monday by California legislators will, among other things, bring $20 million to the town of Pajaro to help residents recover from the flooding that inundated the area in March. The funds are available to all residents, regardless of immigration status. The budget...

SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies on Thursday arrested a man after finding more than three pounds of heroin and several illegal firearms in his possession. Joseph Watts, 65, was charged with drug possession, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County has reduced homelessness among families by 59% compared to 2019, even as overall homelessness in the county increased by 6%.  That’s according to preliminary results of the county’s biannual Point-In-Time (PIT) count released Aug. 5 by the Housing for Health...

The Watsonville Police Department is looking for volunteers to join the Post Incident Team.

María Olvide Lozano’s 2-year-old daughter stomps around as her mother sits in the lobby of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program at Community Bridges in Watsonville. It's 5pm on a Tuesday and the pair are the only clients here as staff wraps up...

The Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter has taken a new step in its mission to support the county’s neediest animals.

SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS—Law enforcement officials on Thursday arrested a man suspected of running a “chop shop” high in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Victor Guizar Avalos, 40, was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail on charges of operating a chop shop and possessing ammunition. He was...

With partisan politics in Washington dividing the nation, leaders from both sides of the political spectrum will sit down and talk about the state of the country and how to move forward during the return of “Saving Democracy.”