News

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council at the tail end of its Tuesday night meeting approved plans to reconvene today to discuss a resolution in support of the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s (RTC) business plan for construction and operation of a passenger rail line...

LIVE OAK—A group of local officials and community members gathered under a small mid-county parking lot located near Highway 1 Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the groundbreaking for a massive construction project expected to transform the corridor and revolutionize travel countywide. Construction on phase 1 of...

Wildfires in the county’s unincorporated regions have stayed relatively low for this time of year, with just 71 vegetation fires so far in 2023 in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties, compared to 107 for the same time period last year. That’s according to Nate...

NORTH MONTEREY COUNTY—The North Monterey County Fire Protection District is ushering in a new era. A month after announcing it will promote longtime employee Joel Mendoza to Fire Chief, the North County Fire Board of Directors celebrated the approval of a benefit assessment that will...

Franchise specializes in Asian rice and salad bowls Rancho Del Mar shopping center in Aptos is celebrating the opening of a new restaurant. Poki Bowl, which originated in San Jose, offers an extensive menu of Asian rice and salad bowls, with a plethora of raw fish...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency announced that there are now 13 confirmed cases of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus. The announcement comes less than two weeks after Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel announced the county’s first case on March 7. The increasing...

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Monterey County officials say that the fire that erupted at the Moss Landing Power Plant Thursday night was difficult to fight because it was centered on a bank of batteries. “It is unknown how long this incident may last,” county spokeswoman Maia Carroll said. “No...

WATSONVILLE—Dozens of families lined up at Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes Friday afternoon, waiting for a parcel of food aimed at getting them through the Thanksgiving holiday. This included a chicken or turkey, produce, bread and oil, among other things. The organization’s executive director Joann Godoy...

A state-appointed mediator has been assigned to help Pajaro Valley Unified School District and Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers work through contract negotiations.