Local News

In the first months of the pandemic, Dientes Community Dental Care was forced to close its clinics throughout  Santa Cruz County. The nonprofit organization, which aims to give people access to high-quality, affordable oral healthcare, had initially not been considered essential. For more than two...

APTOS—The Aptos High girls soccer team notched another shutout with an 8-0 win against Pacific Collegiate School on Saturday afternoon. The Mariners’ defense has not allowed a goal in three straight games, having outscored opponents 20-0 during that span. The Mariners were coming off a 7-0...

APTOS—It took two weeks for Aptos High junior Jaylen Dang and the rest of the girls basketball team to get back into action after quarantining due to Covid-19 testing results. The junior guard picked up right where she left off, scoring a team-high 13 points...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council at a special meeting Friday evening passed a resolution expressing support for the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s (RTC) business plan for construction and operation of a passenger rail line along the 32-mile stretch from Davenport to Pajaro. The resolution...

The work at the Watsonville High School athletic field calls for an upgrade of the drainage system and replacement of the field surface. School officials are hoping for completion before graduation in early June.

WATSONVILLE—The winds that normally blow into the Watsonville High School softball field are typically known for knocking down deep fly balls destined to become home runs. Blocked by an invisible “Green Monster” of Fenway Park, so to speak. But the Swingin’ Wildcatz have found a...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County health officials’ prediction that residents would be frustrated over not being able to find a Covid-19 vaccine after the state expanded its eligibility to most Californians earlier this month has not come true. Instead, the demand for the inoculation has...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday unanimously approved a plan to ease graduation requirements for high school students whose academic record has been damaged by the distance-learning requirements of Covid-19 restrictions. Under the plan, students at risk of failing a...

WATSONVILLE—If everything goes right, Independence Day will feature the first citywide in-person celebration in Watsonville since the start of the pandemic. That’s according to Watsonville Parks and Community Service Department Director Nick Calubaquib, who says that the city is planning to hold a “static” parade...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Covid-19 pandemic has had a disparate impact on communities nationwide, with Latinx and Black communities experiencing greater impacts than white ones. That is according to a report heard Tuesday by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. The report, presented by Health Services...