Local News

APTOS—As a young man, Bapcha Murty moved from his native Chennai, India to attend UC Los Angeles and become an engineer. He went on to a career in the Silicon Valley tech industry that spanned more than two decades in several companies. But when Murty...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County’s top fire official on Tuesday warned that, because of a lackluster rainy season, the ongoing drought and low reservoirs, the upcoming fire season could be as bad or worse than last year’s. “As we look back at last year, anything...

In celebration of Juneteenth, local arts organizations will come together for Murals / Art / Activism, a multimedia project highlighting the importance of public art in activism. Juneteenth is the oldest national celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S. The holiday has seen...

CALIFORNIA—A total of 675 leaders from across California convened on Zoom June 3 in an effort to urge California Gov. Gavin Newsom to extend and expand Senate Bill 91. SB91, which went into effect in January, was the follow-up to Assembly Bill 3088’s eviction moratorium....

APTOS—Cabrillo College students will return to in-person instruction when classes resume in the fall, spokeswoman Kristin Fabos announced Tuesday. According to Fabos, more than 50% of course offerings feature face-to-face or hybrid instruction during the fall term, which begins Aug. 16. The college will continue...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District launched its virtual academy one year ago as an option for families concerned about Covid-19, and who wanted to keep their children at home even if students were allowed back into classes. When the all-online classes began on Aug....

SANTA CRUZ—A motorcade rolled through Santa Cruz County on June 4 as part of a 22,300-mile, cross country journey to honor 338 law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2020. The Beyond the Call of Duty End of Watch Ride to...

WATSONVILLE—Winners and runners-up of the inaugural Climate Action Photo Contest will be on display at the main branch of the Watsonville Public Library through the month of June.  Submissions for the contest, sponsored by the Santa Cruz Climate Action Network (SCCAN), were accepted until the...

APTOS—Cynthia Jimenez-Gutierrez says she found inspiration to become a financial planner by helping her immigrant parents with their fiscal issues. After her education, she hopes to make a life in her community helping other immigrant families. “I like to work with money,” she said. “I thought,...

SCOTTS VALLEY—Two people, including a 28-year-old Santa Cruz man, died in separate Highway 17 crashes mere hours apart. Around 10pm on Friday night, the Santa Cruz resident involved in a two-vehicle crash near Scotts Valley was ejected from his 2016 Toyota Tacoma after the truck...