Local News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County on Monday identified 22 new Covid-19 cases, breaking its previous single-day record (21) set just a week ago. There are now 129 active cases in the county and there have been 379 cases overall. Of those residents that have contracted...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Law enforcement officials around the county are gearing up in an effort to keep illegal fireworks off the street this summer, as Fourth of July approaches and residents who have been cooped up for months look to blow off steam. Enforcement has become...

WATSONVILLE—About 150 people gathered at the City Plaza in Watsonville Sunday to stand in solidarity with the Black transgender community. Rise Up! Act in Solidarity for Black Trans Lives was organized by local residents Alex Santana and Gabe Medina, along with local LGBTQ+ organization Pajaro...

SANTA CRUZ—An Aptos man was arrested Friday morning following a dramatic chase around Santa Cruz and over Highway 17. James Johnston, 37, of Aptos, was taken into custody near Scotts Valley on a host of charges. Around 7am Santa Cruz Police received multiple calls of a...

WATSONVILLE—Richard Del Piero was a Watsonville High School graduate, a U.S. Air Force Veteran and a local farmer who as a school board member in the 1960s helped reign in several local education agencies to create the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.  Del Piero died...

WATSONVILLE—Elderday Adult Day Health Care, a program of local nonprofit Community Bridges, has for years aimed to empower seniors to live at home with independence and dignity.  But after Covid-19 hit and shelter-in-place orders went into effect, Elderday was forced to close. In the following...

A massive Saraha Desert dust cloud has worked its way from Africa, across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States, turning blue skies into a brown haze. Though an annual event, this storm has taken on gargantuan proportions, meteorologists said. The clouds so far...

WATSONVILLE—The demographics of Santa Cruz County’s novel coronavirus cases now mirror those at the state and national level, raising concerns about the county’s response to increasing numbers in Watsonville. Though cases have remained relatively low compared to other counties around the state, Watsonville and its...

WATSONVILLE—One of the pillars of the Watsonville Fire Department, Capt. Matt Ryan, will soon retire. That means on July 27 a mountain of experience in the world of fire and rescue will walk out the door. It also means a departure of a giant player...

SANTA CRUZ—Saying that “people were not willing to be governed anymore,” Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel on Thursday said the county’s daily beach restrictions will be removed starting Friday. Save for water sports, county beaches have been off-limits between 11am-5pm since late April....