News

Santa Cruz County on Monday named Sandra Mendez as its next chief probation officer, selecting a veteran corrections administrator with more than 20 years of experience in community-based justice programs. Mendez will take over leadership of the county’s Probation Department on Feb. 2, county officials...

A 90-pound wild mountain lion wandered into a neighborhood in Capitola Monday afternoon. Officials eventually tranquilized it and safely carried it off to the mountains. Around 2 p.m. a resident on Washburn Ave. in Capitola called 911 to report the lion that showed up ...

WATSONVILLE—For more than a decade, dozens of families have grown their own produce on a one-acre community garden located on the property of All Saints Episcopal Church in Watsonville.  The 50 or so crops include corn, peppers, tomatoes and tomatillos, in addition to several fruit...

Nelly Vaquera-Boggs (right), president of the Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers, stands with union members from the Pajaro Valley Unified School District on March 18 in San Francisco during a three-day convention of the California Federation of Teachers. The event served as a stage...

25 years ago on June 11, 1996 The Agricultural History Project’s Farm Implement Shed was completed and ready for dedication. Located just inside the fairgrounds’ main entrance, it is now used mainly for exhibits, but will eventually display large, antique farm implements. They will include...

A fast moving brush fire charged up a steep hillside on South Green Valley Rd. Near Melwood Way Friday just past noon. Watsonville Div. Chief Corey Schaefer said the blaze torched about 75 feet of a 6 foot wood fence and came within about...

Thousands of people showed up for the 35th annual Cinco de Mayo Festival in downtown Watsonville Sunday for live music, food, dancing and arts and crafts. Hosted by Fiestas Patrias, the free seven-hour event unfolded on a closed section of Main Street, across the plaza...

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WATSONVILLE—As many shelter-in-place restrictions remain in place due to Covid-19, state, county and city officials have looked for ways to allow businesses to open safely. This has included moving outdoors—onto sidewalks, into parking lots and even streets. Watsonville businesses have slowly been making the move,...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Democratic Central Committee (SCCDCC) on Wednesday sent a cease and desist letter to Jimmy Dutra–who is running for the Santa Cruz County Fourth District Supervisor seat–after he sent an election mailer bearing the logo of the Democrat party. The...