Monterey, Santa Cruz counties lead Bay Area in Covid-19 positivity rate
CENTRAL COAST—Monterey and Santa Cruz counties were reporting the highest Covid-19 positivity rates in the Bay Area region Friday, according to data reported by the California Department of Public Health.
The positivity rate in Monterey County was 23.2%. In Santa Cruz County it was 18.5%,...
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy killed after being ambushed by Ben Lomond resident
FELTON—The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy killed Saturday afternoon when he was ambushed by a gunman has been identified as Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 38.
Gutzwiller was a father of a young child, and was expecting a new child soon, said Sheriff Jim Hart.
The death has...
UC Santa Cruz police investigating rape
SANTA CRUZ—UC Santa Cruz police are investigating a rape that occurred during a party late Friday night in a forest in the Upper Campus area.
According to police, the female victim’s friends found her passed out around midnight after a large party, and brought her...
‘Failure was not an option:’ Ceremony rings in new hospital ownership
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Community Hospital has been up and running under its new leadership—the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District (PVHD)—since Sept. 1.
It has been business as usual since then.
On Monday, however, a group of state and local elected officials, along with the PVHD board and a sizable...
Nurses call for reopening of Watsonville Hospital NICU
About two dozen nurses and doctors rallied outside Watsonville Community Hospital Monday, calling on hospital administrators to reopen the neonatal intensive care unit that has been closed since July 10.
The informational picket organized by the California Nurses Association focused on the hospital’s decision to...
Watsonville man sentenced to 75 years to life for 2023 murder
A Watsonville man convicted of fatally shooting his roommate with an assault-style rifle in 2023 was sentenced Monday to more than 75 years to life in state prison.
Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Denine Guy sentenced Hector Manuel Rocha on June 1 to 75...
Kids who were forced into therapy program return home
In October, a Santa Cruz teen and her younger brother were violently taken from a relative’s house, driven to Los Angeles and forced into a family therapy program with their mother. They were then taken to Washington to live with her. Seven months later,...
Monica Martinez named Pride Month honoree
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Monica Martinez has been selected as state Sen. John Laird’s 2026 Pride Month honoree and was recognized Tuesday at the California State Capitol during the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus's annual Pride Month celebration.
Martinez, who represents Santa Cruz County’s Fifth District...
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...
Community leaders host rally for Measure E
Dozens of community members and local leaders gathered at a rally Friday at Watsonville Community Hospital in support of Measure E, the temporary half-cent...
