Local News

For the fourth annual Wine, Beer and Art Walk, locals and visitors can stroll downtown Watsonville to sip local wines and craft beers, sample food, and experience artwork created by local artists and artisans.  On Aug. 19 from 1-5pm, the City of Watsonville and Pajaro...

A large altar has been set up on the 700 block of McKenzie Avenue in Watsonville where Van Michael Turner was shot and killed Aug. 4. Family and friends have placed flowers, votive candles, photos and more at the site. One family member confirmed...

Learning roses in the garden The Monterey Bay Rose Society will host a Meeting and Education Day at the Display Rose Garden at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2661 East Lake Ave., on Saturday at 10am. The event gives the public hands-on experience in the garden...

After delaying the discussion for two months, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved changes to the way its science and art programs are delivered in elementary school classrooms. Under the proposal, which was presented in June by then-Superintendent Michelle...

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,...

UPDATED, AUG. 10: Capitola Police are investigating after someone called in a false bomb threat to New Brighton Middle School, which prompted an evacuation of all students and the cancelation of classes on the first day back from summer break. Police found no devices during a...

Watsonville Police on Tuesday arrested a murder suspect after an hours-long standoff in a strawberry field near Trafton and McGowan roads, just outside Pájaro. Hector Rocha, 44, of Watsonville, has been charged with first-degree murder. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail, where he...

UPDATE, AUG. 9: Watsonville murder suspect arrested after standoff ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Watsonville Police are looking for a suspect after a man was shot to death Monday night on the 100 block of West Beach Street.    At about 8:45pm, officers responded to the area for reports of a...

Tommy Moffitt of Santa Cruz was proud of himself Saturday morning, a big smile on his face as he carried six backpacks—one on his back, one on his front and two each on his outstretched arms—through Kaiser Permanente Arena to be filled with school...

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents to beware of a scam in which someone pretending to be a sheriff’s employee asks for payment for non-existent infractions. The department has received several complaints over the past two weeks about someone claiming to be...