Corpus Christi celebrated in Watsonville
Volunteer workers place colored sawdust to create a path in the parking lot of St. Patrick's Church on Thursday.
Gas line ruptured on Freedom Boulevard
WATSONVILLE—A construction crew replacing a sewer line ruptured a natural gas line Wednesday morning on the 1400 block of Freedom Boulevard, according to Watsonville Fire Division Chief Corey Schaefer.
The 10am incident prompted Watsonville firefighters and police to shut down a section of Freedom Boulevard...
State seized enough fentanyl to potentially kill North America, twice
CALIFORNIA—In 2022, authorities in California say they seized 28,765 pounds of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.
The Department of Drug Enforcement said it is enough to kill hundreds of millions of...
New dashboard details school-based Covid-19 testing results
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Office of Education (COE) has launched a dashboard that summarizes Covid-19 testing results across schools countywide.
The dashboard is a partnership with school districts, Inspire Diagnostics and the Santa Cruz County Department of Public Health, COE spokesman Nick Ibarra...
Consent agenda: WPD awarded two grants to boost traffic safety
WATSONVILLE — The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday accepted $112,000 in grants from the California Office Traffic Safety that will boost Watsonville Police Department’s efforts in traffic enforcement and safety.
The funds were split between two grants with $70,000 going toward the Selective Traffic Enforcement...
Pandemic-initiated emergency allotments from CalFresh end
A Santa Cruz County resident and Second Harvest Food Bank client who received $281 per month in CalFresh benefits for more than two years saw those benefits decrease to $40 in April.
The woman, who asked not to be identified, says the recent ending of...
A symbol of community strength
A mural by UC Santa Cruz professor and artist Eduardo Carrillo in 1976 was only on display for three years in Santa Cruz before it was washed away and painted over.
County Supervisors move to reduce plastics
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday agreed to ban the sale of plastic water bottles at county facilities, and told Public Works staff to create an ordinance that would require a fee for single-use cups at food service establishments.
Hundreds relocated from unpermitted housing in Royal Oaks
A property owner in Monterey County is facing dozens of citations and nearly $60,000 in fines after more than 200 people were found living in several unsafe “greenhouse-like” structures.
Officials discovered several greenhouses on the 1100 block of San Miguel Canyon Road in Royal Oaks...
Letters to the Editor, Jan. 23–29
Passenger rail price estimates too high
One can never convince me that restoring the Santa Cruz Branch rail line for passenger rail would cost an...




















