News

SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS—Mother Nature is lending a hand in the fight against the CZU August Lightning Complex fires in the Santa Cruz mountains. Cal Fire Operations Section Chief Mark Brunton said a much welcomed marine layer wandered into the Central Coast as the weekend got...

APTOS—The man who allegedly shot to death a Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy before engaging in a short but violent crime spree on June 6 was stopped by a resident who tackled him and held him down until law enforcement officials arrived, Sheriff Jim...

SANTA CRUZ—A man died of multiple injuries early Sunday on Emeline Avenue at Highway 1. Around 6am Santa Cruz police were called to the 700 block of Emeline Avenue just under the Highway 1 overcrossing, according to the Santa Cruz Police Department. They found a...

WATSONVILLE—A Watsonville man was arrested Tuesday after police found a kilo of heroin worth at least $80,000 and an assault rifle while executing a search warrant. Gerardo R. Valencia, 29, was arrested on suspicion of possessing narcotics for sale and an illegal weapon, jail records...

SANTA CRUZ—On a normal day in Santa Cruz County Superior Court, hundreds of people filter in and out of four courtrooms as their criminal cases wind their way through the system. That changed on Mar. 17, when court officials delayed all jury trials and severely...

Holding open a door, picking up litter, loaning a pencil — any of these small deeds can be seen as an act of kindness. It is this character-building that teachers are hoping to instill in summer school students at EA Hall Middle School.

Give your input on the design for Watsonville’s largest community park and recreational space at an upcoming meeting.  The city of Watsonville is working to design various elements of Ramsay Park, a project that has been underway since 2019. The city was awarded $7 million...

CORRALITOS—The Watsonville High School Class of 1965 held its 55th-year reunion on Sept. 25 after postponing the celebration last year due to the pandemic. Around 60 people, some from as far away as Arizona, Davis, Sacramento and Southern California, shared stories, jokes and a barbecue...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance that prohibits so-called “discriminatory reports” to law enforcement, and allows victims to seek financial compensation when it happens to them. Discriminatory reporting was brought to public light in 2020, when...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved this fiscal year’s budget, a behemoth $932 million spending plan that represents an 8% reduction in spending from the previous year. That decrease came as the county recovers from the CZU Lightning...