News

ROYAL OAKS — A 47-year-old Salinas man died late Friday night in Royal Oaks after his vehicle struck a tree. California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Jessica Madueño said the man, who has not been named, was traveling westbound on San Miguel Canyon Road west...

A demolition crew tears out the last of the Watsonville Nature Center in Ramsay Park as part of a major upgrade to the park. The center, a small portable building located toward the back of the park, was the only free, bilingual environmental education...

WATSONVILLE—Four men were taken into custody late Saturday night in Watsonville following a two-county, high-speed chase. Greenfield Police said the pursuit got underway around 7pm when Greenfield Police officers observed a vehicle commit a traffic violation in the city of Soledad. When the officers attempted...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the 2022 Active Transportation Plan, a 200-page document that outlines dozens of projects which aim to increase the county’s system of bicycle and walking paths. “The vision is to create a network of...

“This is who I wanted to be; this was my dream and I am where I have always wanted to be,” said Ohlone Elementary School custodian Raúl Gonzales.  He has now put in 42 years at various schools, starting out at Freedom School in 1979....

LIVE OAK—Meals on Wheels (MOW) is looking for a new home after being served an eviction notice by Live Oak School District, which has been leasing its location to the organization for more than four decades. The district has told the organization that the aging...

SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a new interactive budget website that allows community members to check up on the complex inner workings of the county’s finances, roughly one month before the board begins its annual budget hearings. The...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Health officers from 12 counties on Friday doubled down on their recommendations that everyone exercise Covid-19 safety precautions, including wearing a mask indoors and staying up to date on vaccinations. The announcement comes as cases of highly contagious Omicron sub-variants and hospitalizations continue...

WATSONVILLE—After two summers of canceled, postponed and altered activities, the City of Watsonville will be bringing back its seasonal offerings in full force this year. From annual events such as the Watsonville Strawberry Festival and the Spirit of Watsonville Fourth of July Parade, to new...

Dr. Leonor Xóchitl Pérez was 12 years old when she first played mariachi. It was 1973, and her school in Southern California had just created the first school-based mariachi program in the state’s history.  The music stuck with Perez. When she was 18, she was accepted...