Heavy surf capsizes junior sailing class at Santa Cruz Harbor
SANTA CRUZ—Five young people were rescued from giant surf Sunday after their sailboats were knocked over during a High Surf Advisory at the mouth of the Santa Cruz Harbor.
The incident started when two groups of six small sailboats from the Santa Cruz Yacht Club’s...
Four men shot in Castroville, 3 dead
CASTROVILLE—Three men were killed and another was injured by gunfire early Monday in Castroville during a party that spilled out onto the streets.
On Tuesday the victims were identified as Julian Gallegos, 30, Jeff Robles, 21, and Juliani Robles, 21—all of Salinas—according to the Monterey...
Barbara Lee visits Watsonville on Senate campaign trail
Congresswoman Barbara Lee visited Watsonville Monday evening as part of her campaign to gain the seat of outgoing U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
After an introduction by Supervisor Felipe Hernandez, Lee took to the podium at Jalisco’s restaurant where more than 100 people welcomed her.
Representing California’s...
Pedestrian struck and killed on Main Street
A man was killed Friday night when he was struck by a car as he attempted to cross Main Street in Watsonville.
Michelle Pulido, spokeswoman for Watsonville Police, said the man, who was in his 50s, was struck just after 7:30pm.
Police on the scene said...
Sheriff’s detectives arrest wallet thief
SCOTTS VALLEY—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s detectives on Wednesday arrested a Live Oak man suspected of using credit and bank cards stolen from a firefighter’s truck to make thousands of dollars in purchases.
Brian Lee Johnson, 37, has been charged with using stolen credit cards, receiving...
DUI suspect strikes vehicles and home in Watsonville
A 53-year-old Castroville man was arrested Tuesday afternoon after he was involved in multiple separate crashes on Green Valley Road.
California Highway Patrol officer Israel Murillo said the CHP learned that Francisco Romo Rojas was driving a red 2000 Chevrolet Silverado just before 5pm on...
Watsonville author’s first work, ‘Gordo,’ widely praised
WATSONVILLE—Local author Jaime Cortez always had nicknames, and now one of them has become his first book. “Gordo,” a paperback collection of stories, is quickly gathering praise after its release by a national publisher in August.
And while “Gordo” is Cortez’s first widely distributed work,...
Lawsuit targets executive order cutting library, museum funding
A March 14 executive order by President Donald Trump targeting federal funding for libraries and museums—among other things—will leave no community untouched. But the impact will vary throughout the state.
Both the Santa Cruz County Public Library and the Watsonville Public Library systems receive millions...
PV Health Care District board approves bond to fund hospital repairs, purchase
On March 5, voters living in the southern portion of Santa Cruz County and a small part of north Monterey County will decide on a bond that would help the financially struggling Watsonville Community Hospital pay for a series of long-awaited upgrades.
The $116 million...
Heat wave will be tempered by coastal marine layer, meteorologists say
CENTRAL COAST—The heat wave expected to bake the inland parts of the Bay Area with temperatures as high as 110 degrees will largely miss Monterey Bay, thanks to the marine layer for which Santa Cruz County is known.
National Weather Service meteorologist Gerry Diaz says...
Cesar Chavez Middle School’s possible new names unveiled
When the news broke in March that civil rights leader Cesar Chavez allegedly sexually assaulted multiple women and girls, it sparked a nationwide reckoning...
