Local News

WATSONVILLE—A Greenfield Police officer was arrested early Thursday on charges of domestic violence. Christian Tapia, 27, was arrested at 8:03am and booked into Santa Cruz County Jail by the Watsonville Police Department on domestic violence-related charges that officers believe happened in Watsonville. The Greenfield Police Department...

Tarmo Hannula: I was passing through the office at Watsonville High School the other day and spotted a collection of patches from over the years sitting on a counter. These moments are always a great surprise for me because they’re so packed full of...

At 63 years, the Santa Cruz Follies is the longest-running organization that uses the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, said director Kris Wheeler.

In traditional school elections, the entirety of the student body makes check marks next to the name of their preferred candidate, thus choosing their leaders in a popular election.

A sense of normalcy returned to Santa Cruz County last week as the local high schools kicked off the cross country season. Watsonville High School squared off against Harbor High School on Feb. 18 in Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League competition, which was the...

Araceli Gonzalez was at a crossroads in life looking for a new start when she went to a concert and saw a group of women dressed in vintage clothing from the 1940s and ’50s. “I said, ‘I want to try that style,’” she said. “And...

WATSONVILLE—A virtual event created to highlight writers of color was canceled on Nov. 11 after a group of anonymous attackers logged on to their Zoom meeting, and then shouted racial and homophobic slurs and broadcast pornographic images. Such an attack is known as a Zoombombing,...

A census of Santa Cruz County’s homeless population taken in February shows a 21.5% decline since the last count in 2021. Still, one in every 146 Santa Cruz County residents still do not have access to housing, according to the 2023 Homeless Count and Survey,...

Special events Beer Mule 1st Birthday Party (March 7) Beer Mule is turning 1. To show its appreciation, the local tap house is inviting the community to its First Birthday Party on Saturday. Johnny Reyes Band (3-6 p.m.) and the Apple City Slough Band (6-10 p.m.)...

A group of city workers and volunteers spent the afternoon cleaning massive amounts of trash from a wooded hillside in Watsonville one sunny day in early December, hauling away several full dumpsters. “It’s a hot mess,” said Sally-Christine Rodgers, who founded the Pitch-In Initiative about...