Esperanza del Valle celebrates 45 years
Forty five years of performances, instruction and celebration of Mexican folkloric dance culture was splashed across the Crocker Theater stage at Cabrillo College in three electrifying performances by Watsonville’s Esperanza del Valle on April 4, 5 and 6 in Aptos.
The nearly three-hour program, “Espirítu...
Changes possible for Bay View Hotel, other properties
The iconic Bay View Hotel in Aptos is one of several properties being considered for conversion to long-term rental units.
Watsonville man dies in rollover crash on Riverside Road
WATSONVILLE—A 33-year-old Watsonville man died in a solo-vehicle crash just before midnight Tuesday on Riverside Road, or Highway 129.
California Highway Patrol officer Sam Courtney said the victim was driving a 1999 Lexus west on Riverside Road south of Lakeview Road with a 44-year-old female...
Carmageddon: Highway 1 closed for 24 hours
The California Highway Patrol closed north and southbound lanes of Highway 1 in Soquel Saturday at 7pm to make way for Granite Construction crews to demolish the 1948 Capitola Avenue bridge above the highway.
The closure and carefully crafted detour between Bay/Porter and Park Avenue...
‘McLaren’ of racing bikes manufacturing in Pajaro
PAJARO—In a factory centered in a rural stretch of Pajaro, a small team of workers and engineers was busy one Tuesday afternoon hand-building a new line of cross-country racing bicycles they hope one day will be used by Olympic athletes.
The work was happening in...
Spiritual leader, founder of Mt. Madonna Center dies at 95
Baba Hari Das died peacefully at his home in Bonny Doon Tuesday morning.
Photo story: Symphony performance features local dancers
Members of Esperanza del Valle of the Pajaro Valley are joined Tuesday by performers from Vera Cruz, Mexico at the Mello Center Tuesday as part of the Santa Cruz Symphony's tour, The Orchestra Swings. With an auditorium packed with fourth and fifth graders from...
Hernandez extends lead on Dutra in race for 4th District
WATSONVILLE—Felipe Hernandez has increased his lead on Jimmy Dutra in the race for the 4th District seat on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, according to updated results released by the County Elections Department on Friday evening.
Hernandez, the former mayor of Watsonville, now...
‘Steady’ coach Gene Johnson dies
WATSONVILLE–Gene Johnson, who coached nearly six decades in Santa Cruz County, died Jan. 14, two days shy of his 95th birthday.
He spent the last year and a half at Valley Convalescent Hospital in Watsonville with his wife, Doris, where they celebrated their 73rd anniversary...
Aptos wins first-ever CCS championship in school history | Boys soccer
The Aptos High boys’ soccer team went on an unprecedented postseason run during the 2025-26 winter season.
It began with bringing home the program’s first-ever...
