News

WATSONVILLE — Beginning this month, babies born in Watsonville will have a small head start toward college. That’s thanks to Santa Cruz Community Ventures, which has launched Savings and Engagement for Education and Development Success, otherwise known as SEEDS. The program will launch with newborn babies from...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday took a look at the district’s use of police officers on high school campuses, an issue that has taken the forefront across the U.S. in the wake of several recent high-profile cases of...

The federal government is preparing to open two new industry-specific small-business relief programs, one of them months in the works, as its signature pandemic aid effort, the Paycheck Protection Program, nears its end. The Small Business Administration said it hopes to start taking applications by...

APTOS—Plans were announced Thursday of a major renovation of Willowbrook County Park to honor the late Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, who was gunned down in the line of duty in 2020. The project of “reimagining” the park was announced in a brief...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a new ordinance which, if given final approval on March 8, will impose a one-year “cooling off” period during which former County employees would be prohibited from engaging in lobbying activities for...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police arrested a man on Jan. 8 for several gun-related charges after he allegedly fired a gun. Irineo Ramirez, 42, was charged with unlawfully discharging a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm in a public place and possession of a gun not registered to him....

A man suffered serious burns early Tuesday morning when the car he was in caught fire while parked between 17 Gardner Ave. and Auto Zone on Freedom Boulevard.

Santa Cruz Police on Friday announced the arrest of a man suspected in torching Neighbor’s Pub in downtown Santa Cruz on Dec. 10. James Eason, 45—who is currently in custody at the County Jail for an unrelated crime—is being held without bail. He will be re-booked...

After delaying the discussion for two months, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved changes to the way its science and art programs are delivered in elementary school classrooms. Under the proposal, which was presented in June by then-Superintendent Michelle...