News

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....

WATSONVILLE—National Night Out unfolded Tuesday night in a wealth of Watsonville neighborhoods as an effort to bring the community closer to its law enforcement officials. With a format similar to a block party, Watsonville Police and Fire, Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputies and city officials...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday amended the county’s rules governing accessory dwelling units (ADU), which county officials say were created to streamline the process for building them.  Under the new rules, old ADUs can be demolished and rebuilt as...

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,”...

PAJARO VALLEY—Open Farm Tours returns this Saturday and Sunday to the greater Pajaro Valley, with eight local farms participating in two days of events.  Originally started in 2014 as the Corralitos Open Farm Tour, the event has continued to grow and add more farms from...

WATSONVILLE—A 44-year-old Prunedale man died Oct. 1 in a three-vehicle crash on Highway 129 (Riverside Road) at Old Chittenden Road. California Highway Patrol Officer Sam Courtney said a 30-year-old man from Firebaugh—a small town some 30 miles southeast of Los Banos—was driving a 2019 Dodge...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville’s newest charter school has moved into its new permanent location in the old Gottschalks building at 407 Main St., three years after opening at E.A. Hall Middle School. All of Watsonville Prep’s classes—spanning from transitional kindergarten to fourth grade—are now held in the new...

WATSONVILLE—A year’s worth of work came to fruition on Oct. 1 as the third and largest mosaic that is part of the ongoing Watsonville Brillante project was installed at the Civic Plaza Parking Garage. The piece, “Hermanita,” was designed by Juan Fuentes, a graduate of...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A man who police say stabbed his girlfriend to death at an apartment on Clifford Avenue in July was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail Thursday after being extradited from Arizona. Alberto Scalant, 33, is being held without bail. He has been charged...

Roughly $4.1 million in grants were awarded to health care centers across the Central Coast.  The grants were announced on Sept. 29 by Rep. Jimmy Panetta. The money will support healthcare for underserved communities, and funds will be funneled primarily toward efforts to expand Covid-19...