Janet Johns named artist of the year
A free “profile performance” will be staged on May 9 for the Santa Cruz County Arts Commission’s Artist of the Year Janet Johns.
For 45 years, dancer and choreographer Johns has been a leader of Esperanza del Valle, a folkloric dance group from Pajaro Valley....
Second Harvest activates Mobile Food Pantry in Watsonville
WATSONVILLE—Today between 1-4pm, a community outreach team from Second Harvest Food Bank (SHFB) will visit flood victims in Watsonville to see if they are in need of immediate food.
The free mobile food pantry is part of Second Harvest’s response to the recent historic storms...
Cabrillo plans to begin in-person classes Tuesday
APTOS—Cabrillo College’s students will return to in-person instruction, about one month after beginning the spring semester with a distance learning model.
Cabrillo President and Superintendent Matt Wetstein said the decision comes as the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 declines and as the Omicron...
Council approves parklet pilot program
WATSONVILLE—With the Covid-19 pandemic—and the restrictions on businesses that have come with it—sticking around for the foreseeable future, the City of Watsonville is hoping a new program will allow restaurants and shops to better handle the hurdles currently in front of them.
The Parklet Program...
A call to end homelessness
Nearly 300 people marched the streets of downtown Santa Cruz May 18 to help end homelessness.
The second-annual gathering, organized by Housing Matters, reigned in a coalition of local businesses, nonprofit organizations, and public supporters in the March to End Homelessness.
The event began outside Santa...
Pedestrian struck and killed on Main Street
A man was killed Friday night when he was struck by a car as he attempted to cross Main Street in Watsonville.
Michelle Pulido, spokeswoman for Watsonville Police, said the man, who was in his 50s, was struck just after 7:30pm.
Police on the scene said...
Vehicle strikes 4 bicyclists on Hwy. 9
An 85-year-old woman from Boulder Creek plowed into four bicyclists Tuesday on Highway 9 in the San Lorenzo Valley.
The California Highway Patrol responded to a report of a crash at 6:21pm, south of Glengarry Road.
According to CHP officer Israel Murillo, the woman was driving...
Report: Number of sickened by pesticides increases
Illnesses caused by agricultural pesticide exposure in California rose nearly 50 percent in 2015, according to data released May 31 by the Department of Pesticide Regulation.
Open Studios Art Tour coming soon
Each year during the first three weekends in October, the public is invited to a free countywide self-guided art tour. Arts Council Santa Cruz County’s 37th annual Open Studios Art Tour features 322 artists who will open their studios across Santa Cruz County.
The tour...
Watsonville names Jorge Zamora new police chief
WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville police officer who began his career with the agency as a cadet three decades ago has become the department’s newest police chief.
Jorge Zamora was chosen after an extensive national search.
“Through the process, Jorge demonstrated his in-depth knowledge and understanding of our community...
Aptos girls soccer standout Alexa Castañeda commits to Fresno State
Aptos High senior Alexa Castañeda has left behind an everlasting legacy on campus after four phenomenal years on the pitch with the girls soccer...




















