Local News

WATSONVILLE—Graduation for Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s 1,179 seniors this year will look drastically different than it has at any time in its history. That is because the school closures imposed April 1 by state education officials have required students to learn from home for...

SANTA CRUZ—A man in custody for domestic violence-related charges at Santa Cruz County Main Jail was found dead inside his cell Sunday, Sheriff’s spokeswoman Ashley Keehn announced. According to Keehn, correctional officers found Tamario Rashawn Smith, 21, unresponsive inside his cell around 6pm. The officers performed...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A team of six pilots took the sky over Santa Cruz County Saturday in a first-ever local aerial tribute to those giving to their community during the Covid-19 pandemic. Lightning Formation Airshows (LFA), with support from Watsonville Municipal Airport, painted the sky with...

WATSONVILLE—A 26-year-old Santa Cruz County man died Saturday after he was mauled by a great white shark near Manresa State Beach.  The victim has been identified as Ben Kelly, a prominent surfboard maker and a well-known figure in the surfing community. According to California State Parks...

SACRAMENTO—Every registered voter in California will receive a vote-by-mail ballot for the November election after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Friday. The order requires that each county’s elections officials send vote-by-mail ballots for the Nov. 3 general election to all registered voters.  Californians...

WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville man was arrested for burglary after he was caught on a security camera worming his way through a small window of a local business. Raul Diaz, 41, allegedly stole a small amount of cash from the business. He was caught, along with accomplice...

The County of Santa Cruz held a soft opening for a new Covid-19 testing site at Ramsay Park Thursday. The site will initially focus on frontline health care workers, first responders and employees working in essential services and roles, said county spokesman Jason Hoppin....

WATSONVILLE—A cyber tip forwarded to the Watsonville Police Department landed a 25-year-old man in jail for possession and distribution of child pornography. Tranquilino Gervacio was booked into the county jail and charged with a felony. WPD Detectives launched an investigation after the Silicon Valley Internet Crimes...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Municipal Airport has been awarded two grants that will allow it to update its master plan and its pavement maintenance management plan. The grants of $550,000 and $110,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are highly competitive, said Airport Manager Rayvon Williams. According to Williams,...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz area California Highway Patrol has brought aboard a new Captain, Aron Ching.  Born and raised in the Hawaiian Islands, Ching moved to California to pursue a career with the CHP and has been with the department for 23 years.  His new...