Local News

SCOTTS VALLEY—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s detectives on Wednesday arrested a Live Oak man suspected of using credit and bank cards stolen from a firefighter’s truck to make thousands of dollars in purchases. Brian Lee Johnson, 37, has been charged with using stolen credit cards, receiving...

ALAMEDA—The man who allegedly shot and killed a Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy before engaging in an explosive-laden crime spree in the Santa Cruz Mountains town of Ben Lomond on June 6 pleaded not guilty Thursday to a host of charges in Alameda County...

By Jake Pierce, Good Times News Editor SCOTTS VALLEY—The number of acres burned by the CZU Lightning Complex fire is up to 81,137, local Cal Fire Deputy Chief Jonathan Cox told reporters Wednesday night. So far, investigators have found that the fire has destroyed 579 structures...

Smoke from the CZU August Lightning Complex fires has been really bad most of the day. We got something of a break Monday and Tuesday, with blue sky dominating the weather picture. Maybe the wind shifted? I spoke with several people in Watsonville and...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The economic restrictions imposed on various Santa Cruz County businesses are not expected to be loosened this week, according to Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency spokeswoman Corinne Hyland. That’s despite the fact that the county will have spent its 14th day off...

WATSONVILLE—For the past eight years, Nikki Lewen has been writing and releasing a trilogy of novels—all the while being a full-time teacher and coach at Watsonville High School. This year, all that hard work has paid off as Lewen celebrates not only the release of...

WATSONVILLE—In a surprise end-of-meeting redux, the Watsonville City Council approved a moratorium on Covid-19 related evictions, reversing a decision it made just hours prior during Tuesday night’s meeting. The council was preparing to wrap up the virtual session when Councilman Aurelio Gonzalez made a motion...

WATSONVILLE—While the fire evacuation center at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds is reaching capacity for humans—only single cots and limited tent camping space are available—there is still room for pets and other animals. Hundreds of animals have been evacuated to the fairgrounds since the CZU...

A few days ago I rode my bike through downtown Santa Cruz and out by the wharf and the Beach Boardwalk. It was empty. Almost lifeless. Our mostly blue sky was sure a welcome sight Monday. So was the cooler air that drifted in from...

SCOTTS VALLEY—As the acreage continues to grow in the CZU August Lightning Complex fires, the number of people fighting the blaze on the ground and from the air is also growing. According to Cal Fire, there are 1,611 firefighters fighting the 78,000-acre blaze out of...