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Aptos
March 28, 2024

Covid-19, fires taxing service providers

Second Harvest Food Bank food distribution
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...

Carrillo pleads guilty to Gutzwiller killing

Steven Carrillo
SANTA CRUZ—The man who shot a Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s sergeant to death—days after killing a federal building security guard in Oakland during a crime spree two years ago—pleaded guilty Monday to the local charges. Steven Carrillo, 33, a former U.S. Air Force sergeant, will...

Photos: Santa Cruz County Jamboree | High school football

APTOS—The high school football season unofficially kicked off this past weekend with the Santa Cruz County Jamboree at Cabrillo College. St. Francis, Pajaro Valley and Watsonville high schools along with four other schools within the county scrimmaged for the first time this season at...

Bamboo Giant offering first-ever nighttime walkthrough experience

Located on a busy thoroughfare between Aptos and Watsonville, Bamboo Giant Nursery and Gardens (BGNG) could easily be driven past without a second glance.  But the nursery, tucked into the side of a hill in a rural, forested section of Freedom Boulevard, is actually one...

Seahawks’ football returns after two-year hiatus

APTOS—It almost feels like an eternity since the Cabrillo College football team last saw some action on the field.  But two years after they were placed on probation due to a violation for housing out-of-area players, the Seahawks are back and ready to take on...

County’s budget cuts to Sheriff’s Office eased

County of Santa Cruz budget
SANTA CRUZ— The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved an $874 million budget for the coming year that includes cuts and position reductions to every department in the county. According to County Budget Manager Christina Mowrey, the reductions include furloughs of 5-10%,...

CZU Complex fires have destroyed more than 300 structures; now 17% contained

czu august lightning complex fire
SCOTTS VALLEY—The level of containment in the CZU August Lightning Complex fires continues to increase, but so does the number of confirmed destroyed and damaged structures. Cal Fire officials at a Tuesday morning press conference said the blaze in the Santa Cruz Mountains is now...

Cabrillo sees enrollment drop following fires, pandemic

Cabrillo College enrollment
APTOS—When Covid-19 began to sweep the U.S.—and brought with it an economic recession—Cabrillo College officials expected a jump in enrollment that typically comes with a battered economy. But the college is now seeing a significant drop in those numbers, which it pins on the double...

Cabrillo College receives $3M grant

cabrillo college
Cabrillo College announced Oct. 10 that it is the recipient of a five-year, $3 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE). The Abriendo El Camino: Connecting & Supporting High School Students into Structured College & Career Pathways grant aims to strengthen career...

County receives funding for Mid-County low-income housing project

Santa Cruz County
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...