Serial DUI offender sentenced to 20 years for fatal collision
SANTA CRUZ—A Watsonville man already on probation for two DUI convictions was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years in prison for striking and killing a woman while driving drunk one year ago, Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeff Rosell announced.
Alejandro Rocha Fernandez, 28, was drinking...
Santa Cruz Police investigating ‘suspicious object’
UPDATE, 4:45pm: The suspicious item that caused several streets to be closed in Santa Cruz late Wednesday morning was not a threat, the Santa Cruz Police Department said.
Officers from SCPD, and the Santa Cruz County bomb team, responded to a report of a pipe...
Community calls for Watsonville’s city council to save sports programs
WATSONVILLE—The City of Watsonville will have to make several tough cuts to meet a projected $6.5 million budget deficit for the upcoming fiscal year.
But more than two dozen community members defending the value of youth sports programs at Tuesday’s virtual City Council meeting urged...
Restaurants, shops can operate outdoors with city approval
WATSONVILLE—Restaurants and retail stores in city limits can now operate outdoors thanks to an emergency order signed by City Manager Matt Huffaker on Friday.
Businesses looking to take advantage of the alfresco option would need to receive approval of a Temporary Covid-19 Encroachment Agreement from...
Alleged killer’s former fellow serviceman speaks out after Ben Lomond shooting
As a member of the elite Air Mobility Command 60th security forces—a unit also known as the Phoenix Raven Team—Steven Carrillo was the U.S. Air Force’s version of a Military Police officer.
For a time, one of Carrillo’s jobs was to issue weapons at the...
Woman struck by vehicle on Green Valley Road
WATSONVILLE—A woman suffered major injuries Monday when she was struck by a vehicle as she walked on Green Valley Road, California Highway Patrol Officer Jessica Madueño said.
According to Madueño, the woman was walking in the eastbound lane of Green Valley Road just east of...
Fundraiser for slain Sheriff’s deputy raises more than $320k
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Peace Officers Research Association of California has established a fundraiser for the family of Damon Gutzwiller, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Deputy who was shot and killed in the line of duty Saturday in Ben Lomond.
The account has collected more than...
Watsonville businesses remain boarded up
Numerous businesses continue to keep their windows covered with large sheets of plywood in downtown Watsonville and at the Overlook Shopping Center on Main Street. The move was triggered Wednesday night by someone who posted a notice promising “barbaric protests" Thursday as part of the...
State education officials release guidance for reopening schools
SACRAMENTO—The California Department of Education (CDE) on Monday released a set of guidelines for schools statewide to use as they seek to reopen in the fall, nearly three months after they closed to slow the spread of Covid-19.
While the state agency leaves actual policymaking...
Citizen stopped alleged Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy killer
APTOS—The man who allegedly shot to death a Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy before engaging in a short but violent crime spree on June 6 was stopped by a resident who tackled him and held him down until law enforcement officials arrived, Sheriff Jim...
MVC rallies to beat Soledad in non-league thriller | High school...
In just his second start at the varsity level, Monte Vista Christian junior Evan Vessey was given the keys to drive his team home...
