News

WATSONVILLE—Monterey Mushrooms, Inc., the nation’s largest mushroom grower, has agreed to pay $2.24 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that the company illegally discharged “hundreds of thousands of gallons of wastewater” into nearby waterways. Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen’s Office stated that the...

Dozens of Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter employees briefly walked off the job on Nov. 30 to conduct an informational picket highlighting what they describe as untenable working conditions and inadequate pay, with no support from their management. The issue is exacerbated by a recent...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police on Sunday arrested a man suspected of twice vandalizing St. Patrick’s Church. Arturo Padilla, 38, is suspected of writing graffiti on a door of the cathedral on Oct. 22, and throwing a rock at one of the windows a few weeks earlier. He was...

The leaning tower of Dallas? A demolition in Dallas on Sunday of a residential high-rise did not go according to plan. Following the typical dynamite blasts and huge puffs of smoke the old building simply leaned over a bit and stayed that...

A woman died and a man suffered major injuries Sunday night when fire broke out in their single-story home on the 500 block of Cedar Street in Watsonville. Firefighters were quick to arrive on the scene at the corner of Bridge Street in Bay Village,...

SANTA CRUZ—Medical Professionals working for the Santa Cruz County Health Department—which has been grappling with low supplies of Personal Protective Equipment due to the Covid-19 epidemic—got a boost Monday with a donation from the Pajaro Valley Quilt Association (PVQA). Volunteers from that organization—45 in all,...

Activities 4 All will present a mariachi concert on May 27 from 7-9pm at the Henry J. Mello Center, 250 East Beach St., to benefit the families of the Pajaro area. The lineup includes Mariachi Ilusion, Esperanza del Valle, Andres Benito-Yanez and more. Tickets are available...

AROMAS—An Oakland man is in custody following a string of crimes that included an armed robbery of the Mobil Gas Station in Aromas on Oct. 22.  During the robbery, at 2961 San Juan Road, a store clerk was held at gunpoint while cash was taken...

Jerald O’Brien, founder of Silver Mountain Vineyards, pours a glass of 2013 Pinot Noir for Michelle Novicio on Sunday during the 39th annual Capitola Art and Wine Festival. The weekend affair drew thousands to Capitola Village.