News

In the first months of the pandemic, Dientes Community Dental Care was forced to close its clinics throughout  Santa Cruz County. The nonprofit organization, which aims to give people access to high-quality, affordable oral healthcare, had initially not been considered essential. For more than two...

WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday will discuss whether to censure trustee Georgia Acosta for several instances of misconduct during her time on the board. A censure does not remove an elected official, but instead, serves as a powerful condemnation...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville’s newest charter school now has a permanent home, and a long-vacant building on the Main Street corridor will soon have a new tenant. Watsonville Prep School, which opened in August with 180 kindergarteners, first- and second-grade students, plans to occupy the second floor of...

In celebration of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History’s (MAH) 25th anniversary, the RedBall Project, a global art installation that has been to over 30 cities since 2001, is coming to Santa Cruz County. And now, after a countywide search by MAH staff...

WATSONVILLE—“The Apple King,” a novel inspired by Watsonville’s Croatian community and its historic role in the region’s apple industry, recently won the Connecticut Author Project Award and will be featured in an issue of the national Library Journal publication. Author Barbara Anne King was born...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday will receive an update of ongoing talks between the city and Fox Theater owner Hank Garcia for the possible purchase or lease of the historic cinema in downtown. The item is included in the City Council’s closed session agenda...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday voted to recommend the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine for children 5-11, a move that came four days after the Food and Drug Administration approved a smaller dose for young people. The unanimous vote by the...

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Community Hospital will either be sold to a new buyer or—if that fails—close by Jan. 28, CEO Steven Salyer announced Monday.  In a letter sent to employees, Salyer states that the hospital is facing “significant financial challenges,” which have been compounded by decreased revenue...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—At least 4,000 Santa Cruz County residents have been infected with Covid-19 during the current winter surge sparked by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus. That figure posted to the County Health Services Agency’s online dashboard, however, is likely vastly...

WATSONVILLE—A temporary protected bike and pedestrian path on Green Valley Road between Amesti Road and Pinto Lake City Park officially opened May 28.  The path, installed by the County of Santa Cruz, serves as a preview for area residents and students of nearby Amesti Elementary School...