Local News

WATSONVILLE—April Bennett was only about 2 years old when she went up on a stage with her father, Steve Bennett for the very first time. Steve was in the house band at Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton for many years, and April would often join...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police Department said goodbye to one of its key officers this week, K9 Ranger. The 8-year-old German Shepherd joined Watsonville Police Department in 2014 and worked alongside his partner Officer Brian Fulgoni, combing the streets of Watsonville—and outside the area with surrounding agencies—on a...

WATSONVILLE—As the next major rainstorm rolls in, the City of Watsonville and local nonprofits are heading up a major effort to provide sandbags for local residents in flood-prone areas. Scores of city staff and volunteers from Community Bridges, the Community Action Board, the California Conservation...

Greenway Capitola, a driving force behind Measure L and outspoken opponent of efforts to expand rail services in Santa Cruz County, is facing an investigation by state elections officials for inconsistencies with campaign financial filings.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—In one of her final acts before her retirement at the end of the year, Santa Cruz County Clerk Gail Pellerin on Tuesday officially certified the results from the 2020 presidential election. More than 86 percent of county voters—a total of 146,857—cast ballots...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Renters and landlords in Santa Cruz County who have been impacted by the pandemic are eligible for more than $16 million of federal funds to help pay utilities, home energy costs and rent, county spokesperson Jason Hoppin announced Monday. The funds are allocated...

Numerous businesses continue to keep their windows covered with large sheets of plywood in downtown Watsonville and at the Overlook Shopping Center on Main Street. The move was triggered Wednesday night by someone who posted a notice promising “barbaric protests" Thursday as part of the...

Firefighters now have 91% containment on the Dolan Fire in the Big Sur area. It has burned 124,924 acres and destroyed 14 homes. The fire began Aug. 18. This morning our reporter Todd Guild and I drove up into the San Lorenzo Valley to Boulder...

The County of Santa Cruz held a soft opening for a new Covid-19 testing site at Ramsay Park Thursday. The site will initially focus on frontline health care workers, first responders and employees working in essential services and roles, said county spokesman Jason Hoppin....

The 25th annual Peace and Unity March filed through Watsonville Sunday during a break in stormy weather to mark the gang-related deaths of more than 90 people both in Watsonville and Salinas.