News

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville’s Five Star Catering is currently offering a curated gift box for the holidays. The Holiday Local’s Box supports eight Santa Cruz County businesses that have been negatively affected by the pandemic.  Products include handmade Pecan Snowballs from Edith Meyer Wedding Cakes, fair trade organic...

WATSONVILLE—It has been three decades since Gabino Torres and Anna Martinez opened a small Mexican seafood restaurant on Main Street, a business they launched as a way to pair their love of their native cuisine with a drive to support their family. La Perla del...

APTOS—A Watsonville man was arrested Friday and charged with driving under the influence of drugs after allegedly striking an 88-year-old man, California Highway Patrol Officer Sam Courtney said. Joseph Granados, 29, was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail, jail records...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County officials on Tuesday are expected to discuss whether the county will join five other Bay Area counties in preemptively adhering to the regional stay-at-home order recently issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Although the item is not agendized for tomorrow’s Santa...

I see the rail trail system is moving forward off of Ohlone Parkway. I’ve ridden my bike along a nearly complete section of the trail on the westside of Santa Cruz where it flanks the railroad track near Almar Street. It’s great. Plenty wide,...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County officials on Friday said they will not yet join five other Bay Area counties in preemptively adhering to the regional stay-at-home order announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom Thursday. Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Marin and Santa Clara counties will adopt...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Sheriff's deputies arrested a man in Turlock Thursday on suspicion of murder in a cold case stemming back to 1995. Investigators were able to find forensic evidence linking John Laroche, 63, to the case, Ashley Keehn, a spokesperson for...

SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said Friday that all inmates at Santa Cruz County Jail have tested negative for Covid-19. The announcement follows news that several correctional officers who work at the jail tested positive for the novel coronavirus, an outbreak that has...

CENTRAL COAST—As the holiday season barrels ahead and gift-giving inches closer for some, the United States Post Service (USPS) has taken on extra help and expanded its hours.  In Watsonville, to brace for the uptick, postmaster Vicki Amarus said the post office has hired four...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville man who died early Friday morning in a solo-vehicle crash on Amesti Road has been identified as Andres Garcia Vidal. California Highway Patrol officer Sam Courtney said Vidal, 33, was driving a blue 1998 Volkswagen Beetle eastbound on Amesti Road east of Cypress...