Local News

“Out of the Fire” is the latest art exhibit to showcase at the Pajaro Valley Arts Sudden Street Gallery. More than 55 artists are in the show with artwork that was created or affected by fire, such as a kiln, welding, blown glass and...

Writer, director and actor Steve “Spike” Wong remembers the moment he realized he wanted to tell stories. He was about 5 years old and was riding the Jungle Cruise attraction at Disneyland with his parents. He managed, he said, to convince them that the animatronic...

MID-COUNTY—A plan to consolidate two Mid-County fire districts took a step forward Wednesday when nobody from the community registered a complaint. Efforts to consolidate Aptos-La Selva Fire Protection District and Central Fire Protection District began in 2019. Fire officials say the move will help departments...

Terry Medina leads the live auction during Watsonville Rotary Club's International Night at the Portuguese Hall on Wednesday.

MOSS LANDING — A long line of hungry customers stretched out the door of Phil’s Fish Market and Eatery in Moss Landing Monday, the last day of the popular restaurant. For 22 years the business has seen a steady flow of customers, many repeats, at...

In a little more than a year, Ramsay Park in Watsonville will boast a new dog park, a new multi-use synthetic sports field, a new state-of-the-art nature center and new lights for its pathways, parking lots and athletic fields. Plans also include an all-inclusive playground,...

WATSONVILLE—An effort to extend a landmark Watsonville ballot measure that placed restrictions on the expansion of the city took a big step forward Tuesday. The Watsonville City Council accepted the city clerk’s certification of a petition filed by the Committee for Planned Growth and Farmland...

WATSONVILLE—Current positivity rates in Santa Cruz County’s low-income and disadvantaged communities are among the worst in the state and Bay Area region, according to data reported by the California Department of Public Health. The county’s so-called “Health Equity Quartile Positivity Rate” was 22.7% on Wednesday...

Observations from around the Pajaro Valley.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Beginning July 1, anyone purchasing a beverage in the unincorporated parts of Santa Cruz County—and who didn’t bring their own reusable cup—will notice a 25-cent fee tacked onto the price. That is due to the county’s new disposable cup fee, which was created...