Local News

WATSONVILLE—A new business featuring a meat counter, a taqueria, fresh produce, a dairy section and a wide range of groceries recently opened on East Lake Avenue near Holohan Road. The store, called Farmers Market, also boasts a panaderia—or bakery— that features freshly baked Mexican pastries...

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has issued evacuation orders for hundreds of people in the north and south areas of the county after heavy rains fell overnight Wednesday and into Thursday morning. Residents living near Holohan Road, Laken Drive and College Road in Watsonville...

After 30 people demanded that the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees rescind a Dec. 11 decision to lay off 80 teachers and 78 school employees during their Wednesday night meeting, nearly 200 people who had packed the Watsonville City Council chambers...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Amidst the ongoing health crisis, essential workers who do not own cars have remained reliant on public transportation and carpooling—two options that are both limited and not always safe. Bike Santa Cruz County (BSCC) hopes to alleviate that dependence. In June, the organization...

CENTRAL COAST—Thanksgiving weekend, traditionally one of the busiest travel times in the country, can also be the deadliest, according to a press release sent out today by the California Highway Patrol (CHP).  This year, all area CHP offices within the Coastal Division have teamed up,...

Construction continues on a new bicycle and pedestrian overcrossing of Highway 1 at Chanticleer Avenue in Santa Cruz as part of the Highway 1 Corridor Project.  Plans call for construction of north and southbound auxiliary lanes and bus-on-shoulder improvements on Highway 1 between the 41st...

APTOS—Aptos High School’s new principal began her career in education during a stint in the Peace Corps, where in a small mountaintop village in Ethiopia she upended the school’s boys-in-the-front, girls-in-the-back paradigm and learned the influence a good educator can have. “I fell in love...

Santa Cruz County officials on Tuesday opened public hearings on a proposed $1.29 billion budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, warning that federal funding cuts, rising labor costs and growing structural deficits are forcing difficult financial decisions in the years ahead. The recommended budget includes...

A 62-year-old Aptos man died Tuesday night in a solo-vehicle crash on Soquel San Jose Road. California Highway Patrol officer Israel Murillo said the man, who has not been named, was driving a gray 2004 Chevrolet Silverado northbound on Soquel San Jose Road approaching Los...

Two teens were arrested on March 10 after leading police on a chase on their e-bikes. Watsonville Police Sgt. Jarrod Pisturino said the department had received numerous complaints about youths speeding through and around the Vista Montaña housing project off of East Lake Avenue at...