Students display artwork at Cafe Ella
WATSONVILLE—Students from Ann Soldo Elementary School have been displaying a series of art projects at Cafe Ella on East Lake Avenue since late November.
Art teacher Cami Shaeffer said the idea formed after chatting with Cafe Ella owners Jennifer DeVault and Erika Conrad, who took...
Shots fired in downtown Santa Cruz
Shots were fired but no one was injured in some form of dispute Wednesday afternoon in downtown Santa Cruz.
‘Good clean living’: Watsonville woman celebrates 101st birthday
WATSONVILLE—Gerry Kall on Friday celebrated her 101st birthday in Watsonville, the town she was born in.
Thanks to a gathering of relatives, friends, Katie Nuñez, Watsonville Senior Center’s older adult services supervisor, and a handful of folks who cheered out the window of the cars...
New candidates come forward for Nov. 8 election
WATSONVILLE—Five candidates have pulled papers to possibly run for Watsonville City Council in the upcoming Nov. 8 election, a key decision day that will see major turnover in South County leadership.
Current Watsonville Mayor Ari Parker is running for reelection in District 7, which encompasses...
The Santa Cruz Tattoo Expo & 4 other great upcoming events
Special events
Sip Shop & Shoe Talk (Feb. 29)
Join us for a Fashion Day out with fashion blogger and shoe designer Flor de Maria of Flor de Maria Fashion. Shop from her latest shoe line and save 20 percent. Plus champagne and cupcakes with a discount...
PVUSD Trustees will appoint Holm’s replacement
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees will appoint a trustee to replace Jennifer Holm, who on Sept. 3 announced her early resignation from the board.
The vote fell 5-1 in favor of making an appointment, and rejecting holding a special election to...
Following 2019 fire, The Hideout reopens
APTOS—Almost two years after a fire, The Hideout restaurant in Aptos is back up to speed with a slightly expanded building, modern upgrades and nearly a full menu.
The popular eatery reopened March 22. It underwent a major demolition and rebuild following the May 2019...
Rotary hosts exchange students at Yosemite
The Freedom Rotary Club hosted a large group of Rotary Youth Exchange students from April 27-30 during its annual trip to Yosemite National Park.
Flowers set the stage for county fair
A team of 60 volunteers that included children, teens and adults took gardening implements in hand on July 24 to plant flowers at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in preparation for the upcoming county fair Sept.10-14.
“Our fairgoers always appreciate the bright colors and atmosphere...
3 affordable housing projects move forward
WATSONVILLE—Earth-moving equipment is carving up three lots off of Freedom Boulevard to make way for more than 200 affordable housing units set to be completed by nonprofit developers over the next two years.
MidPen Housing is leading projects on Miles and Atkinson lanes that combined...
Medina faced sexual misconduct allegations in settled lawsuit
The Digital NEST tech nonprofit settled a sexual harassment lawsuit centered on allegations against Pajaro Valley Unified School District Trustee Gabriel Medina, according to...





















