News

LIVE OAK—A 17-year-old Aptos High School student died Tuesday after he was stabbed multiple times, and two other students—14 and 17—are facing murder charges for the attack, which occurred on the school’s campus. Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart made the announcement during a press...

Pajaro Valley Unified School District has hired a new public information officer. Alejandro Chávez will serve as the intermediary between the public and media, and the district. According to a Facebook post, Chávez brings more than two decades of experience in public service, nonprofit management and...

A man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly trying to sexually assault a woman as she walked in downtown Santa Cruz, and fighting a police officer who came to arrest him, Santa Cruz Police Lt. Warren Barry said.

The 12-year-old girl who took her mother’s car and went on the run Saturday—and her 12-year-old boyfriend who joined her—have both been found In Santa Clara and are safe, according to Watsonville Police spokeswoman Michelle Pulido. Neveah Castillo reportedly drove off in a light blue...

WATSONVILLE—Members of Santa Cruz County’s Auto Theft Reductions Enforcement (SCARE) Task Force seized 1,120 pounds of illegal fireworks recently.  The Sheriff’s Office said an investigation led to the arrest of 30-year-old Edgar Narez on Green Valley Road for possession of illegal aerial fireworks. “With the extreme...

The City of Watsonville, Watsonville Wetlands Watch (WWW), and Community Arts & Empowerment are teaming up to design and install a new mosaic mural for the entrance wall of the new Nature Center scheduled to open in Ramsay Park in late 2025.  The artwork includes...

WATSONVILLE—A man has filed a civil lawsuit in Santa Cruz County Superior Court, claiming that 4th District Supervisorial candidate Jimmy Dutra molested him when he was 12. A case management conference is scheduled for Feb. 3. The Pajaronian typically does not name victims in stories involving...

A piece of Watsonville’s history was torn to the ground Monday as a wrecking crew demolished the Taqueria Mi Tierra restaurant on Freedom Boulevard.  The building was once a popular A&W drive-in restaurant, Rosa’s Mexican restaurant and Mi Tierra until they closed last year.  Plans now...

An 86-year-old Fresno man was convicted on Aug. 26 for a double-murder committed more than three decades ago in Prunedale. According  to Monterey County Sheriff spokesman Andres Rosas, Ira Ulyesses Bastian murdered George Smith, 67, and Eva Thompson, 79 in a Prunedale restaurant on Nov....

It’ll be a few years before fans will see any action from the Cabrillo College football team.  The community college’s Board of Trustees held a special virtual meeting Tuesday evening and came to a unanimous decision to suspend football operations for at least two years. Cabrillo...