Arrest made in 1995 Watsonville homicide case
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputies arrested a man in Turlock Thursday on suspicion of murder in a cold case stemming back to 1995. Investigators were able to find forensic evidence linking John Laroche, 63, to the case, Ashley Keehn, a spokesperson for...
Sheriff: all Santa Cruz County Jail inmates are Covid-free
SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said Friday that all inmates at Santa Cruz County Jail have tested negative for Covid-19.
The announcement follows news that several correctional officers who work at the jail tested positive for the novel coronavirus, an outbreak that has...
USPS parcel flow hits holiday uptick
CENTRAL COAST—As the holiday season barrels ahead and gift-giving inches closer for some, the United States Post Service (USPS) has taken on extra help and expanded its hours.Â
In Watsonville, to brace for the uptick, postmaster Vicki Amarus said the post office has hired four...
Watsonville man killed in crash on Amesti Road identified
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville man who died early Friday morning in a solo-vehicle crash on Amesti Road has been identified as Andres Garcia Vidal.
California Highway Patrol officer Sam Courtney said Vidal, 33, was driving a blue 1998 Volkswagen Beetle eastbound on Amesti Road east of Cypress...
Stay loyal, stay local: Gift ideas from around the Pajaro Valley
Looking for places to shop for loved ones this holiday season? You don’t have to rely on Amazon or other large retailers—instead, look into small, locally-owned stores right here in the Pajaro Valley. Contact the stores directly, follow on social media and check out...
Small businesses look to holiday shoppers for support
WATSONVILLE—On Nov. 28, Watsonville joined the annual nationwide shopping movement known as Small Business Saturday, which aims to encourage shoppers to support businesses in their community. The event had a number of small stores at the East Lake Village Shopping Center opening for special...
Unexpected decor | About Town
In my travels about town, I’m always on the lookout for something different, original, funny for the camera. One such find was on Cutter Drive the other day. It was the front half of a motorcycle emerging from the front of a garage. Different,...
Newsom: new stay-at-home order likely to hit Central Coast
SACRAMENTO—New stay-at-home orders issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday will be based on intensive care unit capacity in five regions in California.
Newsom said that much of the state will likely be under the stay-at-home orders within the next few days if ICU capacity...
With increasing need, food banks worry about ‘food insecurity’
WATSONVILLE—One year ago, a report by UC Santa Cruz’s Blum Center on Poverty, Social Enterprise and Participatory Governance and Second Harvest Food Bank painted a grim picture of hunger in Santa Cruz County.
According to the report, some 83,000 residents were living in households earning...
Santa Cruz County nursing home reports 4 Covid deaths, nearly 100 cases
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Officials at Pacific Coast Manor have reported that 61 of their residents and 37 staff members have tested positive for Covid-19.
Four residents of the skilled nursing facility in Capitola have also died of Covid-19 complications, the facility reported Wednesday. Sixteen of the...
Monterey County Sheriff: ‘Bomb’ was lost computer
A suspicious bag left leaning against a California Highway Patrol vehicle in Prunedale Monday—which prompted a response from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad...
