Local News

For eight years, students at Pajaro Valley High School have gathered in the quad for National Coming Out Day, adorning themselves in rainbow-themed attire and, occasionally, taking one of the biggest steps of their lives.

Every August for the past five years, Watsonville organization Pajaro Valley Pride (PVP) has held an event to show support for and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in South Santa Cruz County. But due to Covid-19, the annual march and celebration were canceled, sending organizers back...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville area has the lowest number of COVID-19 cases in Santa Cruz County, according to data from the county health department. There were 29 known COVID-19 cases in South County as of Wednesday, compared to 33 in North County and 45 in Mid-County. North...

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...

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A weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like. Tarmo Hannula FOOD: Pizza My Heart Fresh hot pizza keeps the customers lining up at Pizza My Heart in downtown Santa Cruz. Founded in 1981 in Capitola Village by Fred...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The County of Santa Cruz will soon use a $500,000 grant to install 20 new antennae throughout the county, a plan officials say will boost Broadband internet signals for thousands of people living in rural areas, particularly low-income families. The money comes from...

WATSONVILLE—Work is now complete on a pedestrian, bike and traffic safety project on Harkins Slough Road.  The job, which is part of a city-wide project to address transportation safety issues, runs between South Green Valley Road and Ford Street and includes a swath of Walker...

CALIFORNIA—Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide “stay at home” order on Thursday evening, bringing California’s nearly 40 million residents in line with shelter-in-place orders recently issued by Santa Cruz and Monterey county officials. The directive goes into effect this evening, Newsom said at a press...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The County of Santa Cruz on Monday announced that it will use two facilities to care for 100 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 – and need to be isolated – but are not critically ill. County officials are also looking to...