Hal Hyde, celebrated veteran, education giant, dies at 97
WATSONVILLE—Harold “Hal” Hyde, the WWII veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and helped liberate Nazi death camps before returning home to the community he loved to help found Cabrillo College and establish UC Santa Cruz, died Monday. He was 97.
Hyde’s daughter...
County’s Covid-19 death toll reaches 23
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Twenty-three Santa Cruz County residents have now died from Covid-19 directly or with the disease as a contributing cause.
Santa Cruz County health officials shared with Good Times their latest information on the demographics for those who have died:
21 were 65 years of age or...
Farmers Markets flourish | About Town
I rode my bike to the Santa Cruz Farmers Market in downtown Santa Cruz today. It was a surprise to see Nick Prevedelli of Prevedelli Farms in Watsonville running a stand there with one of his workers. They had about 14 kinds of apples...
PG&E: shutoff could affect 6,000 local customers
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Pacific Gas & Electric company is planning for a widespread Public Safety Power Shutoff that will affect numerous Northern California counties, including Santa Cruz County.
According to the company, power shutoffs are likely this evening between 8pm and 10pm, with more than 6,000...
Council approves several changes for ADU rules
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council approved wholesale changes to the City’s rules on accessory dwelling units (ADU) in hopes that those modifications will produce additional and safer housing options.
Spurred by more than a half-dozen state laws approved over the past three years, the changes limit...
CalFresh benefits now available to wildfire victims
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Starting today and running through Oct. 22, Disaster CalFresh food benefits may be available to residents impacted by the CZU August Lightning Complex wildfires.
Santa Cruz County is one of six wildfire-impacted counties (the others being Monterey, San Mateo, Solano, Lake and Yolo)...
Out on the water | About Town
I rode my bike through the Santa Cruz Harbor today and saw a man and a woman heading out into the waters on stand-up paddleboards after renting them at the long-standing Kayak Connection, which is located in the harbor. Stand-up paddleboards are really popular...
Three men arrested after graffiti spree in downtown Watsonville
WATSONVILLE—Three men are facing felony vandalism charges for allegedly defacing more than a half-dozen businesses in downtown Watsonville with graffiti early Saturday.
Richard Betancourt, 40, Javier Alvarado, 29, and Juan Bautista, 23, all of Watsonville, were booked into Santa Cruz County Jail on charges of...
SC Warriors donate masks to Loaves and Fishes
WATSONVILLE—The Santa Cruz Warriors’ season ended more than seven months ago—it was cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic—but the NBA G League franchise has found different ways to score points in the Santa Cruz County.
Team mascot Mav’Riks on Oct. 12 dropped off a...
More heat on the way
Weather forecasters are warning of strong winds coming later this week. With the wave of wildland fires that have plagued California for weeks, firefighters are keeping a wary eye on the change in weather, which will also usher in bumped up temperatures as well....
Female Athlete of the Year: Aptos’ Izzy Graff brought excellence to...
Aptos graduate Izzy Graff was on the verge of joining the cross country team going into her junior year in 2023 so she could...