News

WATSONVILLE—A pair of positive Covid-19 tests has shut down the Excel In Place program at the Environmental Science Workshop in Watsonville through its Dec. 18 end date. Watsonville Parks and Community Services Director Nick Calubaquib said two employees at that location on Second Street recently...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—More than one million people have so far received a Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control.  These “frontline” workers in tier 1a of the state’s protocol include health care workers, first responders and other people who interact directly with patients.  In...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—For the past six years, the annual holiday fundraising campaign Santa Cruz Gives (SCG) has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for local nonprofits, by creating a network of donors and shining a spotlight on the organizations. And in 2021, fundraising has...

SACRAMENTO—California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Dec. 30 released a plan under which schools could reopen as early as February. The plan, which streamlines the process of applying for a waiver to bring students back for in-person instruction, is bolstered by a $2 billion package of...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Cal Fire CZU on Sunday evening issued evacuation warnings for swaths of the San Lorenzo Valley, including most of Boulder Creek and various areas of Ben Lomond and Felton that just a few months ago were scorched by the CZU August Lightning...

A Watsonville man suspected of being a gang member was arrested Tuesday for felony vandalism after allegedly scrawling graffiti on a public mural.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—It is unlikely that Santa Cruz County will move from the purple “widespread” tier to the less restrictive red “substantial” tier when the state updates its tier assignments Tuesday, according to county spokesman Jason Hoppin. That means several indoor business operations will continue...

WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council at its Tuesday meeting will weigh whether to overhaul its tax rates on cannabis businesses, a move a consultant and city staff say would make the city more competitive with neighboring jurisdictions. The proposed changes would cut taxes on retail cannabis...

WATSONVILLE—St. Francis High School girls’ basketball coach Randy Braga—who led the Sharks to three-straight Central Coast Section Division V championships—will not make a return to the sidelines this year. Athletic Director Adam Hazel issued a press release March 24 stating that Braga stepped down from...

On April 3, two local bands were invited to perform at a special live streamed concert at The Complex, a recording and production space in the heart of San Francisco. Bayview, a three-piece rock group made up of school friends Adam Renteria, Keith Rayburn and...