News

The Fourth of July has long been a time of celebration in Santa Cruz County, a height-of-summer fete that draws hordes of people to local beaches to indulge in picnics, swim in the ocean, soak up the sun and, for some, trash the place. But...

Thousands of people lined the main streets of Watsonville and Aptos Thursday to watch the parades that have become a tradition stretching back decades. The Spirit of Watsonville parade kicked off at 12:30pm, two hours after the Worlds Shortest Parade, which takes place in Aptos...

A California Highway Patrol Officer confers with a tow operator at the scene of a solo-vehicle crash on Highway 1 in Watsonville Wednesday.  The CHP said a male driver was traveling south on Highway 1 around noon in a Rialto recreational vehicle. As he approached...

A Santa Cruz County justice program that places reconciliation over punishment has helped more than 240 people keep criminal convictions off their record since its inception in 2020, with just one case of recidivism. Now, the Santa Cruz County Neighborhood Courts program is seeking volunteers...

The City of Watsonville, Watsonville Wetlands Watch (WWW), and Community Arts & Empowerment are teaming up to design and install a new mosaic mural for the entrance wall of the new Nature Center scheduled to open in Ramsay Park in late 2025.  The artwork includes...

Water fills the newly constructed sentiment drying beds on Holohan Road Wednesday as part of the College Lake Pipeline Project, which was designed to develop College Lake as a new water supply for the Pajaro Valley. Six miles of 30-inch water main will transport treated...

Paola Fregoso (left) and Lorelai Oliveira are joined by their dog, Luna, Monday in a promotion of their fireworks for sale at the Watsonville High Junior Wildcatz stand. Their temporary fireworks stand, at 716 East Lake Ave., is one of close to two dozen...

Aptos native Nikki Hiltz guaranteed their spot at the upcoming Summer Games following a record-setting performance at last weekend’s U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials.   The 29-year old middle-distance runner won the women’s 1500-meters finals in 3 minutes, 55.33 seconds, setting both a personal-best and...

The new center will include a 30-bed residential treatment building, therapy rooms and a medical clinic.

Residents in Santa Cruz County will face steep fines for using fireworks this Fourth of July, including at area beaches. “Illegal fireworks can be a threat to public safety, spark wildfires, and be harmful to the environment, vulnerable residents, and pets,” Santa Cruz County spokesman...