Local News

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police Sgt. Donny Thul was on patrol recently when he got a harsh reminder of life under coronavirus restrictions. A call came over his radio that a group of young people was gathered at a park playing soccer. Just a few weeks ago, such a...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—When Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel revised her shelter-in-place order on May 1, she relaxed restrictions on summer programs such as daycare and day camp, allowing families to begin planning activities for their kids after months of restrictions. The announcement came...

Six people were injured Tuesday night on the UC Santa Cruz campus when a bus veered off the road and slammed into a stone column. Authorities told the media that the driver of the bus suffered major injuries and was flown by helicopter to Valley...

While food banks act as the safety net against hunger, CalFresh (formerly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) is the first line of defense. CalFresh’s goal is to improve the health and well-being of people who qualify for the program in every community. It...

The Watsonville Vaccine Center at old City Hall in downtown Watsonville will close on March 27. Thanks to the combined effort from the City of Watsonville, Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance, Community Action Board and Community Bridges, the Watsonville Vaccine Center administered more than...

WATSONVILLE—Last week students at Cabrillo College plugged into an in-person study space at the community college’s Watsonville center.  Staged at the outdoor work area of the Solari Green Technology Center, the program offers students a space to hook up to Wi-Fi and campus Chrome books,...

WATSONVILLE—Two men and a young boy escaped major injuries when their car flipped over Sunday on a curving section of Buena Vista Drive. California Highway Patrol officer Daniel Ibarra said two adult men and the boy were aboard the Honda Civic when the driver lost...

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday appointed Georgia Acosta as its new president, and Oscar Soto as vice president. The annual organizational meeting was the board’s last of the year. Acosta was appointed with a 5-2 vote, with trustees Kim De...

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday in Watsonville, Encompass Community Services celebrated the opening of a new Si Se Puede behavioral health campus on Miles Lane, an $18 million investment aimed at expanding addiction treatment and recovery services in South Santa Cruz County. The project includes...

The colorful folk art of the San Bushman, an indigenous tribe in Botswana, is the focus of an exhibition and auction taking place Friday from 5-8 p.m. at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, 705 Front St. in Santa Cruz.