Local News

MONTEREY BAY—After 16 years of drawing birders from around the globe, with its wide array of guided field trips with expert birders, lectures, workshops and samples of local foods and drinks, the Monterey Bay Birding Festival has reached its end. “Due to the Covid-19 pandemic,...

About three years ago, the Pitch-In Initiative was created with a singular mission: to make Santa Cruz the cleanest county in California. That mission was realized Tuesday, when the County of Santa Cruz announced its designation as a Clean California Community, a recognition that “highlights...

WATSONVILLE—Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday afternoon said all bars, night clubs, wineries and breweries should close and that restaurants should move to takeout orders and reduce to half-capacity to halt the spread of the novel COVID-19 virus that has sickened thousands worldwide. He also called...

On Jan. 8, as the third deluge in a little more than a week bore down upon the Central Coast, Pajaro Valley Unified School District closed all of its schools, a measure they said was intended to protect kids and their families from possible...

WATSONVILLE—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies on Saturday arrested a man after a brief chase on a stolen motorcycle that had swapped plates. Alejandro Villarreal, 33, was charged with evading police, receiving stolen property and drug possession. He also faces charges for driving while his license...

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s students will engage in distance learning for the entire first semester of the 2020-21 school year, the Board of Trustees unanimously decided on Wednesday. The distance learning model is intended to slow the spread of Covid-19.  The district decided to keep...

SANTA CRUZ—This Saturday, the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History will host a special launch event for Watsonville is in the Heart's digital history archive. The new archive features oral history recordings, original documents and family artifacts that capture the rich history of Filipino...

The Times of Israel and the Anti Defamation League have labeled as antisemitic comments made on April 16 by two Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board trustees.  In addition, Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah has denounced the comments. During that meeting, the board...

MOSS LANDING—Two women died after their car plunged into the water of Moss Landing Harbor sometime late Friday night or early Saturday morning. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has identified the victims as Maria Vanessa Carrango, 35, and Esther Monique Espinoza, 28, both of Salinas....