Cal Fire CZU chief announces retirement
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Ian Larkin, who has headed up Cal Fire’s San Mateo Santa Cruz Unit since May 2016, has announced his retirement, capping off a career that spanned three decades.
Born and raised in Watsonville, Larkin now lives in Scotts Valley with his wife and...
Mayor for the Day teams students with Watsonville’s top official
WATSONVILLE—While trying to recap the first half of their day with Watsonville Mayor Jimmy Dutra, high school students Jennifer Fernandez and Maurice Moreno both thought back to their stop at Watsonville Fire Department headquarters and a conversation they had with Fire Capt. Almita Schaefer.
Her...
Cabrillo receives $5M HSI grant for STEM education
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Cabrillo College has been awarded a five-year, $5 Million U.S. Department of Education Title III grant, meant for STEM programs at federally-designated Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI).
To receive the HSI designation, at least a quarter of a college’s student body must be Hispanic....
Dientes teams up with Semillitas to brighten local kids’ futures
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—When Laura Marcus, the CEO of Dientes, pitched the idea to invest $50 into the college savings accounts of every child who visits the dentist, she knew it would be a hard sell for board members.
“This is very outside of our wheelhouse,”...
Salvation Army restructuring services
The Salvation Army is aiming to improve its services for homeless people in South County.
Holiday planning? Order your meat now
If specialty meats will be on your table during the upcoming holidays, now is the time to get your order in at two local meat businesses, Freedom Meat Lockers and Corralitos Market & Sausage Co.
Fire in the Sky event returns | News Briefs
The Fire in the Sky and airport open house event will return to Watsonville Municipal Airport on Sept. 4, bringing with it, among other things, a fireworks show, food vendors and a flyover.
The free event starts at 6:30pm. Masks will be required and a...
REI to open new store in Santa Cruz
SANTA CRUZ—REI, an outdoor retail business with 168 stores in 39 states, plans to open a location in Santa Cruz, the company announced on Feb. 18.
The 22,622-square-foot store will be located at 1660 Commercial Way, the giant warehouse that formerly held Toys “R” Us....
Rose garden volunteers prepare as county fair approaches
Tucked away toward the back of the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, between the horse arenas and livestock barns, is a small rose garden that often goes unnoticed by many attending the annual fair.
Run by the Monterey Bay Rose Society (MBRS) since 2009, the garden...
Attempted murder suspect arrested
WATSONVILLE — A 47-year-old man was arrested today for his involvement in an attempted murder on Riverside Road in Watsonville in June.
At 1pm Wednesday Edgar Ayala was arrested on the 2700 block of Freedom Boulevard by Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputies, with the aid of...
St. Francis, Watsonville to meet for PCAL season opener | High...
St. Francis is hosting Watsonville this weekend for the anticipated start of Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division-North play.
The crosstown rivals will square off...