Food scrap composting program diverting tons from landfill
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Since it began in January, Santa Cruz County’s composting program has diverted nearly 50,000 tons of food scraps from the Buena Vista Landfill, vastly reducing the amount of methane being released into the atmosphere and reshaping the way residents view their trash.
That...
Reward offered for dogs’ killer
WATSONVILLE—People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect who poisoned two dogs in a residential backyard in Watsonville.
PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch said the dogs—named Bruno and Luna—died “in agony”...
Solar project underway at Cabrillo
APTOS—Cabrillo College is in the midst of transforming four of its parking lots with new solar carports, part of what college officials say is a sustainability project aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Work is underway in parking lots A-D, which are just off Soquel...
Photo: A scent of pine
Mamh Corrigan sets up a display of trees at his family lot, Corrigan Christmas Trees, in the East Lake Village Shopping Center in Watsonville. He said his family is now in their 31st season of selling trees. They carry a range of trees, from...
A life, preserved: In memory of famed local taxidermist Richard Gurnee
Watsonville native Richard Gurnee, who revolutionized the field of scientific taxidermy by pioneering a freeze-drying technique still employed worldwide, died in October after a brief illness. He was 87.
Gurnee graduated from Watsonville High School in 1954, and then studied zoology at Humboldt State University.
But...
Cabrillo engineering class conducts survey for former department chair
WATSONVILLE—In 1961, two years after Cabrillo College in Aptos was established, Rich Hart was hired by the school to start its brand new Engineering department.
Hart would go on to be chair of the department as well as its sole instructor for 34 years, teaching...
Motorcyclist dies exiting Hwy 1
WATSONVILLE—A man died Friday around 12:45pm when he lost control of his motorcycle while exiting Highway 1 southbound at the Riverside exit.
California Highway patrol officer Israel Murillo said the motorcyclist shot off the pavement on the curve of the exit, plunged through a...
Land Trust conserves 178-acre farmland
WATSONVILLE—The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County recently announced that it secured a conservation easement for the 178-acre Tynan Ranch, located one-half mile from the current urban growth line of the City of Watsonville off of Lakeview Road.
Tynan Ranch has been in production for...
Council approves big contracts for Freedom Blvd., planning work
WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council approved a trio of contracts for significant impending roadway and planning work on Nov. 15.
The largest contract of the four is a $4.2 million agreement with Gilroy-based McKim Corporation for the long-awaited reconstruction of Freedom Boulevard between Alta Vista Avenue...
PV Water calls for bids to construct College Lake project
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency Board of Directors authorized staff to advertise for bids to construct the College Lake Integrated Resources Management Project.
PVWMA officials say the project will provide much-needed water to the critically overdrafted basin of the Pajaro Valley by supplying 1,800...
County Supervisors declare local emergency
In a brief special meeting Friday, three Santa Cruz County Supervisors declared a local emergency, which will allow officials to request state and federal...
