Pop music stars to aid Pajaro flood victims
Maná and Alejandro Fernández—whose combined album sales are more than 50 million—will donate a portion of ticket proceeds from their upcoming Bay Area shows to local nonprofit Community Bridges.
The artists are also encouraging individuals to make donations via communitybridges.org/donate.
“At the heart of Maná is...
Power outage affects thousands
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Thousands of people in Mid- and North county were without power Wednesday night, and PG&E crews turned the lights back on for more than 5,000 people in Santa Cruz by 6:30pm.
More than 11,000 were still in the dark in Soquel, Capitola, parts...
Supervisors green-light dispensary smoking lounges
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a plan to allow customers in marijuana dispensaries to smoke onsite in so-called cannabis lounges.
They also green-lighted a three-year pilot program to allow limited sales and consumption at marijuana farms.
Both proposals brought no-votes from...
Brothers face felony charges after running from officers
WATSONVILLE—Two brothers were arrested Monday and Tuesday—about 30 hours apart—after two dramatic chases involving multiple law enforcement agencies.
Daniel and Thomas Smith face multiple felony charges, and are being held in Santa Cruz County Jail without bail after running from officers.
The first chase began early...
Cabrillo College instructor making a difference
APTOS—As businesses and services remain closed during the shelter-in-place order – and as Personal Protective Equipment becomes harder to find – a Cabrillo College instructor is staying on the job to make more.
Art Studio Instructor Payson McNett, who runs the college’s Digital Fabrication department...
Downtown artwork receives international recognition
Watsonville artist Kathleen Crocetti’s "Celebrating the Diversity of Labor" project was recently awarded the 2019 Best Community Project in the 18th Annual Mosaic Arts International Juried Exhibition.
Supervisors oppose federal voter ID laws
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously agreed to voice their opposition to proposed federal legislation that would require voter ID and retool voter eligibility requirements nationwide, which County Clerk Tricia Weber says would make it harder for many U.S. citizens...
New School celebrates 25 years
Students and their families joined faculty, administrators and both New School founders to celebrate the milestone.
New historical novel explores Watsonville’s Croatian history
Author Barbara King was holding an event at Kelly’s Books for her novel “The California Immigrant” when inspiration for her next project, “The Apple King,” struck.
A woman approached her and recommended that King read a book called “Blossoms Into Gold,” which follows the history...
New year, new laws: State strengthening protections for personal data
Starting in 2020, consumers will have the power to find out what personal information companies are collecting on them, and to tell them to stop doing so, and to delete it.
That’s thanks to the California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA, which the American Bar...
Manny Contreras out as Watsonville High’s head football coach
In a stunning turn of events, Manny Contreras will not return as Watsonville High’s head football coach for the upcoming 2026 fall season.
Contreras received...



















