News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Hearing calls from fellow commissioners to take a “timeout” so that deep divisions between Santa Cruz County residents about the proposed 32-mile coastal rail trail can subside, a push during Thursday’s five-hour meeting to reconsider the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission’s...

FREEDOM—A Freedom man was arrested Saturday after a bullet he fired during a July 4 celebration ricocheted off the ground and entered a nearby residence, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Ashley Keehn said. The bullet came within inches of a 10-year-old girl in her Miller...

Watsonville firefighter Aaron Netzel sprays water on a fire in an abandoned structure on the 1900 block of Freedom Boulevard at about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

A March 14 executive order by President Donald Trump targeting federal funding for libraries and museums—among other things—will leave no community untouched. But the impact will vary throughout the state. Both the Santa Cruz County Public Library and the Watsonville Public Library systems receive millions...

SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors at its Tuesday meeting unanimously approved a plan to purchase a parcel of land in Watsonville, with the hopes of one day converting it into a public park. The 38.5-acre parcel at 188 Whiting Road—located adjacent to...

United Presbyterian Church to close Tarmo Hannula: The United Presbyterian Church on East Beach Street is slated to have its last service Jan. 5 before they close. The congregation has been around Watsonville since 1860. Our reporter Johanna Miller will have an article with more...

A Watsonville man has been arrested on suspicion of causing a head-on DUI crash Sunday night near Salinas that left one man dead and five others hurt.  Miguel Soto Garcia, 29, was charged with felony DUI causing bodily injury, driving with a .08 alcohol level...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Clerk/Registrar of Voters has opened in-person voting centers throughout Santa Cruz County for the June 7 Primary Election. Voters may cast ballots at any of the following locations:  •Watsonville City Clerk’s Office, 275 Main St., fourth floor •Temple Beth El, 3055...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Community Bridges is providing cleanup tools and resources at Family Resource Collective (FRC) locations, aiming to help the community recover from the floods and mudslides produced by the recent storms. Residents can rent items such as air movers, dehumidifiers, wet/dry vacs, carpet cleaners,...

Editor's note: Story includes vulgarity. The man who says he served as the driver on May 29 when Steven Carrillo allegedly killed a federal police officer in Oakland—and wounded another one—confessed to his role in the attack after turning himself in to the FBI. But...