News

Several dozen Watsonville Community Hospital nurses and staff warned Wednesday that closing the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit—an idea they said officials have floated amid deep financial strain—would put patients at risk and weaken the countywide emergency care system. Hospital CEO Steven Gray said in a...

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...

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday moved forward with proposed rules aimed at regulating large-scale battery energy storage systems, which if approved in November would allow the controversial facilities in unincorporated areas while giving county officials some oversight when they are...

A routine traffic stop turned into a chase late Tuesday night that ended with the arrest of a 17-year-old suspected gang member and the recovery of a loaded gun, according to Watsonville Police. Around 11pm, a silver Honda Civic was stopped near West Sixth and...

North Monterey County Fire officials join American Medical Response paramedics in treating the male driver of a pickup who veered off of Hall Road Jan. 6 in Las Lomas. The California Highway Patrol said the man lost control of a GMC around 2:30pm while...

Watsonville police warned Wednesday that a mountain lion was seen behind 1075 Main Street heading toward Harkins Slough Road.  The department said that residents should remain alert, especially when walking in open or rural areas. Animal control and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife...

Pajaro Valley Arts is preparing for its first show in 2026, an annual members’ exhibit titled “Welcome Home.”  Curated by first-time curator Jim Turner, the exhibit will feature 150 artists and will run from Jan. 13-Feb. 21 in the historic Porter Building in downtown Watsonville.  “We...

The Santa Cruz Fungus Fair is set to run Jan. 9-11 in Santa Cruz. Without fungus, there would be no bread, cheese, beer, or wine, the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz says. Further, anti-cholesterol medicine was developed from mushrooms. The public is invited to the Santa...

A local group of birders joined forces to make a list of area birds as part of the national Christmas Bird Count on New Year’s Day, tallying 1,239 individuals. That number of feathered denizens was a significant increase from last year, when the group counted...