News

A new traffic barrier has been installed on Airport Boulevard at Holm Road in Watsonville.

SANTA CRUZ—In a future envisioned by Santa Cruz County education officials, every comprehensive high school in the county will have a mental health services “hub” where students can access a wide range of counseling and mental health services. Before that date, the County will launch...

WATSONVILLE—Former Watsonville Fire Assistant Chief Gene Friend, a household name for many in the Pajaro Valley, died March 25 at Valley Convalescent in Watsonville.  Watsonville Fire Station 1 is emblazoned with his name in large letters as the namesake of the Chief Gene Friend Watsonville...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Approximately 63,000 people in Santa Cruz County lost power for about 30 minutes Tuesday afternoon due to a “transmission-level outage,” which refers to the system of high-tension wires that transmit power across the state, PG&E spokeswoman Karly Hernandez said. It was not immediately...

APTOS—An Aptos High School junior inspired by her father’s hard work in local agricultural fields has won this year’s 20th Congressional Art Competition, and will see her photograph hang in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Michelle Lopez-Rubio, 17, says she was working with...

An 86-year-old Fresno man was convicted on Aug. 26 for a double-murder committed more than three decades ago in Prunedale. According  to Monterey County Sheriff spokesman Andres Rosas, Ira Ulyesses Bastian murdered George Smith, 67, and Eva Thompson, 79 in a Prunedale restaurant on Nov....

The public got a chance to hear Watsonville artist Yermo Aranda talk about his lengthy contributions to the art world on Jan. 31 at a talk at the Santa Cruz Art League.  Aranda and about 60 guests sat in the center of the current exhibit,...

A crew from American Pavement Systems applies a slurry seal to the pedestrian/bike trail on the Salsipuedes Creek levee. Rusty Barker, civil engineer of Santa Cruz County Public Works, said the work started Monday and wrapped up Wednesday and included a new slurry seal...

Legal advocates are warning the public about a multistate scam targeting the immigrant community, with some victims losing as much as $30,000. According to Claudia Abasto Rivilla, founder and executive director of Salinas-based Latin Advocacy Network (LATINAN), scammers target Spanish- and Indigenous-language speakers using information...

For decades, voters on election day went to their respective polling places—roughly 160 in Santa Cruz County—where they would be handed a ballot for the candidates and races specific to their districts. It was a time-honored tradition, and—for one day—a community gathering spot, with many...