Local News

As the nation awaits the final results of the much-anticipated presidential race, other outcomes at the national and state level have been all but decided. According to results tallied Thursday, 20th District Congressman Jimmy Panetta, a Democrat, had a massive lead over challenger Jeff Gorman,...

WATSONVILLE—Covid-19 restrictions are keeping many people at home, forcing thousands out of work and making day-to-day chores exponentially more difficult. Imagine, then, the added challenges facing families whose children are affected by cancer, says Lori Butterworth, founder and director of Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support...

WATSONVILLE—A Greenfield Police officer was arrested early Thursday on charges of domestic violence. Christian Tapia, 27, was arrested at 8:03am and booked into Santa Cruz County Jail by the Watsonville Police Department on domestic violence-related charges that officers believe happened in Watsonville. The Greenfield Police Department...

WATSONVILLE—The Covid-19 pandemic has presented many challenges for Santa Cruz County renters, property managers and landlords alike. With renters suddenly out of work and unable to pay most, or even the entirety of their rent, threats of evictions have been looming. For some landlords,...

SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk will become the first amusement park in California to reopen after Covid-19 restrictions shuttered them statewide earlier this year, Boardwalk spokesman Kris Reyes said. Rides such as the famous Giant Dipper, which have sat dormant for months, will once...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—This year, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Toys For Tots will not be hosting public collection sites for toy donations for the first time in its history. Normally, the collection points at fire stations and businesses throughout the county are responsible for the...

Collin Travers (from right), Saul Valadez and Juan Trujillo of the Watsonville Police Department join Robert Strong as he carries the torch in the annual Law Enforcement Special Olympics Torch Run in Watsonville Wednesday. Since 1981 the Torch Run, a global movement, has served...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Record numbers of voters nationwide cast their ballots this year, all either hungering for change or hoping for status quo in what is possibly one of the most polarizing political climates in U.S. history. Locally, those numbers likely were a catalyst in driving...

The folks at the Fairgrounds Foundation have teamed up with the Agricultural History Project this year to create the first-ever Holiday Lights Drive-Thru. The colorful, light-infused event is offered as an alternative to Christmas celebrations during the pandemic, where visitors won't have to get...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—More than 116,000 of roughly 170,000 registered Santa Cruz County voters had already turned in their ballots by Tuesday afternoon, an “unprecedented” turnout for the coastal community according to County Clerk Gail Pellerin. “I've been doing this job since 1993 and I have...