Pedestrian struck, killed on Highway 1
APTOS—A man was struck and killed by an SUV early Thursday morning on Highway 1 in Aptos.
California Highway Patrol Officer Alyssa Gutierrez said the victim was wandering around the southbound lanes on foot around 6:20am when he was struck by a Honda CRV driven...
Central Coast, Bay Area fires have leveled more than 1,000 structures
Four major fires throughout the Central Coast and greater Bay Area have destroyed at least 1,055 structures, various Cal Fire agencies announced Saturday morning.
The SCU Lightning Complex, the River Fire, the Carmel Fire and the CZU August Lightning Complex have chewed through 486,305 acres...
Cabrillo leaders to decide on renaming college
APTOS—On Nov. 14, the Cabrillo College Governing Board will meet to answer a question that has been vexing Santa Cruz County for two years: should the name of its community college be changed?
The effort to possibly change Cabrillo College’s name began in 2020, as...
PVUSD Trustees approve retention bonuses, other incentives
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Aug. 24 approved a series of bonuses and supplemental payments aimed at retaining teachers and school employees.
Every teacher, school worker and administrator employed since April 1—and who plans to stay with the district through...
RTC publicly discusses railbanking Santa Cruz Branch
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) on Thursday discussed the future of the county’s rail line, and possibly setting it aside for future use while first focusing on building a bicycle and pedestrian path.
In a report to the commission, RTC...
Formerly homeless grad part of historic Cabrillo College class
APTOS—Tomas Alejandrez was experiencing homeless and using drugs while living on the streets of Fresno when he was 39. Now 47, he is set to graduate from Cabrillo College today with three Associates degrees.
He is one of 1,240 that will participate in the college’s...
New eateries settle into Aptos Village
APTOS—A group of business owners from the new Aptos Village complex gathered for a meeting in early March to discuss possible events and projects they wanted to do together. Their aim was to bring the community into the blooming hub.
But days later those plans...
County receives funding for Mid-County low-income housing project
SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously accepted more than $10.6 million in unanticipated revenue, which will be used to build a low-income housing development in Mid-County.
The project at 2838 Park Ave. near Cabrillo College will offer 17 units for...
Covid-19, fires taxing service providers
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The CZU August Lightning Complex fires have so far destroyed more than 500 homes and forced 77,000 people to evacuate from their community. Those people have flooded evacuation centers throughout the county.
That, coupled with the Covid-19 pandemic that has upended the economy...
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, 34, has been charged with using stolen credit cards, receiving...























