Local News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A new program aims to make electric vehicles accessible to drivers without breaking the bank. Tyler Port-Gaarn works as a teacher in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District. He doesn’t drive far for work, but an electric vehicle always seemed too expensive and...

SAN JOSE—Nine people were killed by gunfire and the gunman killed himself following a mass shooting early Wednesday morning at the Valley Transportation Authority yard in San Jose. At 6:34am, the suspect, Samuel Cassidy, 57, opened fire at the VTA light rail yard in San...

WATSONVILLE—A man accused of shooting at several people outside of a Watsonville home was arrested within 10 minutes of the reported Saturday afternoon incident. Watsonville Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said Stephen Vitela, 23, fired several rounds at people outside of a home on the...

PRUNEDALE—Former Watsonville mayor Luis Alejo, who previously served on the California Assembly and now sits on the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, was arrested Friday on drunk driving charges. According to California Highway Patrol Officer Jessica Madueño, officers on patrol in Prunedale just before midnight...

WATSONVILLE—The booming explosions and aerial displays that typically ring in celebratory moments, have become a noisy plague on Watsonville residents who are calling on city government to step up its enforcement of illegal fireworks and possibly outlaw the sale of the ‘safe-and-sane’ variety. Watsonville Mayor...

WATSONVILLE—After years of playing sports on an aging field pitted by gopher holes and rutted by time, students at E.A. Hall Middle School will soon get a new playing field. The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on June 9 approved hiring a...

Cabrillo Stage’s Summer Musical Festival is back. The theater company is returning after a year of shutdowns due to Covid-19 with a series of live performances in July. Everything from a Big Band concert to a production of “Pirates of Penzance” will be held at...

MONTEREY COUNTY—A man who used a slingshot to fire projectiles at vehicles driving on Monterey County highways between February 2019 and January 2020 was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in state prison, Monterey County Deputy District Attorney Matthew L’Heureux announced. Charles Kenneth Lafferty, 54, pleaded...

WATSONVILLE—A 60-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after leading officers on a brief car chase and then crashing into several parked dilapidated vehicles at Watsonville Fire Station 2 on Airport Boulevard. Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido said officers around 1pm got reports of a hit-and-run crash...

MONTEREY BAY—Connected in Pride 2.0, a free virtual Pride celebration hosted by Monterey and Santa Cruz counties’ leading LGBTQ+ organizations, will take place on July 24th via various virtual platforms. Participating groups include Pajaro Valley Pride, Monterey Peninsula Pride, Salinas Valley Pride and Santa Cruz...