Local News

BOULDER CREEK—Several small teams of federal workers—many members wearing hazardous materials outfits—were in a small neighborhood tucked in the Santa Cruz Mountains north of Boulder Creek Monday, removing dangerous materials from sites where fire razed houses to the ground. The work by the Environmental Protection...

WATSONVILLE—A newly-hired Watsonville Police Officer was arrested Aug. 20 in an off-duty incident in South Lake Tahoe in Nevada. Tyler Leroy Stephens is accused of physically assaulting a man and vandalizing two slot machines.   The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said that Stephens called 911, saying he...

SANTA CRUZ—Nearly five years after Michael Escobar allegedly gunned down a rival gang member and killed a young girl in the crossfire, his case is finally being presented to a jury. Jurors heard opening arguments Tuesday in the case that is likely to take at...

A Watsonville man was arrested Tuesday at his home for charges of attempted murder after he allegedly fired a gun into a residence.

Sandra Day O’Connor, the retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, died Friday morning in Phoenix, Ariz. of complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness. She was 93.  O’Connor, who was a close friend of the late Diane Porter...

WATSONVILLE—Since 2019, local artist Jessica Carrasco has organized the Born and Raised in Watsonville scholarship, aiming to support youth while spreading positivity about her hometown. The scholarship is funded through sales of Carrasco’s line of Watsonville-themed stickers and other fundraising efforts in the community.  Students can...

SOUTH COUNTY—Saying that the outages South Santa Cruz County’s rural residents have experienced “are not acceptable,” Pacific, Gas and Electric Company representatives told the public Thursday that they are currently adjusting equipment throughout the area in hopes of lessening the length and occurrence of...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Presbyterian minister Robby Olson came to Watsonville with his wife a decade ago and has since built his life and career out of building a coterie of friends and cultivating the community he has grown to love. He also has an affinity for brewing...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A large group of workers rallied at the Santa Cruz County building Tuesday morning, before telling the County Board of Supervisors they are prepared to strike if ongoing contract negotiations do not go their way. Officials for SEIU Local 521, the union representing...