Local News

WATSONVILLE—When the Santa Cruz County Fair opened Wednesday, Watsonville resident Manuel Monroy was one of the first ones through the gate, his 3-year-old son Leo at his side for the boy’s first fair experience. On their agenda was the popular All Alaskan Pig Races, a...

Aromas Road has been shut down since 11:30am Friday when a huge eucalyptus tree crashed to the pavement. The tree crushed a parked Infinity sedan and damaged a parked Honda SUV. Power is out in the area, said resident Victor Kraft, whose Infinity was...

For the final concert of the season on Thursday, the city is partnering with the Santa Cruz Symphony and the Pajaro Valley Unified School District for a special performance. “Music for the Heart” invites the community to a free concert featuring members of the symphony along with students from PVUSD schools and dancers from local folklórico group Esperanza Del Valle.

CENTRAL COAST—Officials at Pacific Gas & Electric are warning the public of emerging phone and email scams where impostors demand immediate payment for a SmartMeter deposit to avoid disconnection of service. PG&E spokesperson Mayra Tostado said that in recent weeks, PG&E has received dozens of...

SCOTTS VALLEY—A 55-year-old Santa Cruz woman was found dead Tuesday inside a home on the 800 block of Graham Hill Road, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Ashley Kheen said.  Detectives are investigating the incident as a homicide and are searching for the suspect(s). At 11:30 a.m. deputies responded to...

SCOTTS VALLEY—The CZU August Lightning Complex fire has destroyed 1,490 structures as of Thursday, making it the ninth-most destructive fire ever recorded in the state. According to Cal Fire, 925 of those structures are single-family homes. Most of those homes once stood in the Santa...

WATSONVILLE—The Santa Cruz County Anti-Crime Team (SCCACT) on Thursday arrested a 24-year-old woman at her Watsonville residence after they found several firearms, along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Samantha Sanchez, 24, is on parole and is prohibited from owning either. Sanchez is a known gang...

WATSONVILLE — With Watsonville’s City Plaza as the backdrop, Democrat Adam Bolaños Scow announced Tuesday he will challenge current U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta in next year’s primary election. A longtime advocate and strategist for environmental issues, Scow said he plans to focus his campaign on...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—As the news broke on June 24 that the Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade, local health care activists and politicians reflected the general sentiment that reverberated across Santa Cruz County: anger, sadness and shock. But in the midst of the...