News

SANTA CRUZ—The family of the 8-year-old girl who was murdered in 2015 is facing a new tragedy after someone stole the urn containing her ashes. Madyson “Maddy” Middleton’s family says that her father Michel Middleton was keeping the urn in the glovebox of his unlocked...

Santa Cruz Police officers and firefighters on Tuesday responded to two deaths and one fire at the Gateway Camp, the sprawling amassment of makeshift tents, shanties and lean-tos at Highway 1 and River Street along the San Lorenzo River Levee.

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Nearly three decades ago, 9-year-old Jessica Cortez and her brother Jorge, 16, were gunned down by gang members as they walked to a nearby panaderia on Salinas Road for a treat. Nobody has ever been arrested, and while police do not know why the gang...

WATSONVILLE—A group is planning to file a complaint to the California Attorney General’s Office against the city of Watsonville and the County of Santa Cruz for advancing a housing project that they say will create an environmental hazard for its future residents and a...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council approved a trio of contracts for significant impending roadway and planning work on Nov. 15. The largest contract of the four is a $4.2 million agreement with Gilroy-based McKim Corporation for the long-awaited reconstruction of Freedom Boulevard between Alta Vista Avenue...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville High School community is reeling from the recent loss of a much-loved mural that graced a wall in the school’s cafeteria for more than three decades. Construction workers refurbishing the cafeteria earlier this year painted over the wall after updating wiring and heating...

Diane Severin’s teaching career at Watsonville High School spanned more than five decades. She is described as a fierce advocate for equal rights and a loyal friend. She stayed deeply involved in the community throughout her life, took up skeet shooting at 60 and...

SCOTTS VALLEY—The CZU August Lightning Complex fire has destroyed 1,490 structures as of Thursday, making it the ninth-most destructive fire ever recorded in the state. According to Cal Fire, 925 of those structures are single-family homes. Most of those homes once stood in the Santa...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Gov. Gavin Newsom on May 27 released his revision of the California budget, and through it proposed to eliminate funding for Community Based Adult Services (CBAS) no sooner than July 1. CBAS programs aim to provide seniors alternatives to nursing facilities and other...