Local News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel on Thursday indefinitely extended the shelter-in-place order issued on March 31. She also closed the county’s beaches between the hours of 11am and 5pm. Both moves are meant to further reduce the spread of COVID-19 by...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved a proposal to lay off as many as 24 classified employees, a move district officials say was necessary due to declining enrollment. Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez told the board that the district has lost...

By Jazmine Juarez, Special to the Pajaronian WATSONVILLE—Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) is calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to take urgent steps to protect farmworkers and the food supply chain in the wake of COVID-19.  Following reports of 41 agricultural workers being diagnosed with COVID-19 in...

Local artist Kathleen Crocetti is no stranger to working from home. Having her own art studio at home, she is used to working there, creating pieces and developing community art projects. But Crocetti admits that shelter-in-place has taken a bit of a toll. “Honestly, it’s been...

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Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday is expected to announce the closure of all beaches and state parks starting Friday, multiple national news agencies reported late Wednesday night. The news comes days after Gov. Newsom expressed concern over numerous photos of people crowding beaches throughout the...

The number of COVID-19 cases has now passed 1,018,000 in the U.S. Now, 58,671 have died in the U.S. roughly equalling the number of people that died in the Vietnam War. The U.S. has four times more cases than any other country. Dr. Ashish...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel on Wednesday issued new restrictions on the county’s beaches, restricting their use between 11am and 5 pm starting on Saturday. The new restrictions came after hordes of people crowded the beaches and ignored social distancing rules...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH) has launched its first-ever virtual exhibition. “Queer Santa Cruz: Stories of the LGBTQ+ Community in Santa Cruz County” was created with local organization Diversity Center Santa Cruz County. It includes photographs, videos, early queer...

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a body that was found over the weekend. Spokeswoman Ashley Keehn said the body was discovered outdoors in a rural setting by someone checking on property lines on Redwood Drive near Glen Canyon Road Saturday afternoon. The...