Santa Cruz County Supervisors delay disposable cup fee
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on May 11 voted unanimously to delay a 25-cent fee for disposable cups at businesses in the unincorporated parts of the county until January 2022.
County officials crafted the ordinance to reduce the amount of disposable...
Heard a loud boom Thursday? Here’s what experts say was responsible
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The loud boom that echoed over much of Santa Cruz County late Thursday evening—and the fireball streaking across the sky that accompanied it—was probably a piece of natural space debris roughly the size of a volleyball that entered the earth’s atmosphere and...
Roaring Camp takes over Watsonville freight service
WATSONVILLE—Roaring Camp Railroads has struck a deal with Progressive Rail to provide freight services for Watsonville businesses.
Santa Cruz Big Trees and Pacific Railway, a subsidiary of Roaring Camp, announced the deal on April 30 in a press release.
Roaring Camp CEO Melani Clark said the...
County health officials surprised, supportive of CDC’s new mask guidance
Surprised that federal health officials would this quickly recommend fully-vaccinated people can ditch their masks, Santa Cruz County health officials at a Thursday press conference said unvaccinated county residents will have to eventually walk a “tightrope” when deciding when it is safe to leave...
Present! A look at elected officials’ attendance records
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—When Sandra Nichols was elected to the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) Board of Trustees, the long-time educator—known for being well-prepared for meetings—says she made it a point to attend every one.
In her time on the PVUSD board, which lasted from...
Watsonville charter school moving downtown by October
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously approved a plan to give temporary space to a new charter school as it prepares to move into its own space by October.
PVUSD Chief Business Officer Clint Rucker told the trustees that...
EVs for Everyone connects drivers to electric vehicles
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A new program aims to make electric vehicles accessible to drivers without breaking the bank.
Tyler Port-Gaarn works as a teacher in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. He doesn’t drive far for work, but an electric vehicle always seemed too expensive and...
Buddhist Temple presents virtual theater production May 22
WATSONVILLE—On May 22 the Watsonville Buddhist Temple will virtually present Hiroshi Kashiwagi’s two-act play “The Betrayed.”
“The Betrayed” centers around a couple living at the Japanese-American concentration camp near Tule Lake, California in the 1940s. They become at odds when the controversial Loyalty Oath is...
Acosta recall effort advances
WATSONVILLE—A group formed for the sole purpose of recalling Pajaro Valley Unified School District Trustee Georgia Acosta announced Wednesday that they have gathered the required signatures to officially begin the process.
The group, called The Committee to Recall Georgia Acosta, made the announcement during the...
Monolith installations urge community to vaccinate against Covid-19
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Over the past few weeks, monolith displays urging residents to get vaccinated against Covid-19 have popped up across Santa Cruz County.
The installations were organized by Crush Covid, a local group of volunteers made up of retired women (many with backgrounds in health...
PVUSD trustees cut school employee, teacher positions
After the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees late Thursday night made sweeping cuts to 78 classified positions, newly appointed Board President...
