News

Poisonous death cap mushrooms have sickened people in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, according to a statewide list of areas reporting severe illnesses. A group of California doctors warned Wednesday that foraging for wild mushrooms can be deadly, after an unusually high number of people...

WATSONVILLE—As lunchtime drew to a close Wednesday, fourth- and fifth-grade students at Starlight Elementary School began to gradually filter into the classroom of art teacher Meredith Branan Freeman. They were there to learn about stop-motion animation and create their own movies. Some students worked individually,...

Families and friends gathered at Watsonville's Elkhorn Slough Brewing on Tuesday for a Fourth of July fundraiser.

WATSONVILLE—A proposed 80-unit affordable apartment complex between Atkinson Lane and Brewington Avenue received a unanimous recommendation for approval from the Santa Cruz County Planning Commission on Wednesday morning. In the works since 2013, the project is an extension of the 46-unit Pippin Orchards apartment complex...

Jordan Phillips of Hood River, Ore. said he was at the festival selling products for his company Columbia Black Garlic when the shooting began.

Fiestas Patrias will sponsor its annual community festival, Mexican Independence Day, on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

SANTA CRUZ—The four men who investigators say kidnapped and murdered a Pleasure Point man two years ago appeared in court Tuesday for the first day of their preliminary hearing. Stephen Lindsay, 28, Joshua Camps, 25, and brothers Kaleb and Kurtis Charters, 20 and 23, respectively,...

Owner Chip Kirchner, who in late March purchased the property from Swenson Builders for $5 million, said roof repairs alone cost roughly $110,000. He said he plans to invest about $350,000 in the property in the first year alone.