News

Highway 129 will be completely shut down starting April 30 for five days.

SANTA CRUZ—The man who gunned down a rival gang member and killed a 4-year-old girl in the crossfire nearly six years ago was sentenced Thursday to two consecutive terms of life without parole in state prison. Michael Escobar, 36, also received more than 12 years...

WATSONVILLE—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved the construction of an 80-unit affordable housing complex between Atkinson Lane and Brewington Avenue that could break ground early next year. The project, a part of a multiphase development plan approved some two decades...

WATSONVILLE—For years, Pajaro Valley Little League (PVLL) has used the field at E.A. Hall Middle School for its practices and games, providing an essential space for a sport that typically takes a backseat to soccer in South County. Playing fields for baseball are few and...

Business at California Pajarosa Floral, one of Watsonville’s last remaining large flower growers, has altered drastically since the outbreak of Covid-19 last year. Already dealing with an evolving industry before the pandemic due to growth in offshore production, things came to a sudden halt at...

SAN FRANCISCO—The Orpheum Theater in San Francisco was abuzz with excitement Wednesday afternoon as 1,500 eighth-graders from North Monterey County settled in to experience “Hamilton: An American Musical.” Among them was the eighth-grade class from Pajaro Middle School. “I’m really excited,” said Darlene Valenzuela, who made...

The Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County is honoring the achievements of 32 students with $308,450 in scholarships, funded by a number of local donors. Donors ranged from everyone from the Henry Cowell family to individual donors inspired by the ongoing Black Lives Matter...

During his eight-month campaign to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Rep. Adam Schiff has picked up key endorsements from dozens of local, state and federal lawmakers. This includes House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi.  But while such strong early support is perhaps a signal of...

The Bay/Porter onramp to southbound Highway 1 in Soquel has been shut down as part of the ongoing project to construct north and southbound auxiliary lanes and bus-on-shoulder improvements on Highway 1 between the Bay Avenue/Porter Street and State Park Drive.  “As a reminder, starting...