Carrillo sentenced to life in prison without parole
SANTA CRUZ—The man who slaughtered Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller during a violent crime spree two years ago was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Steven Carrillo, 34, also received prison time for attempting to kill four other...
Newsom signs several housing bills
WATSONVILLE—Governor Gavin Newsom on the final day of action for the 2019 legislative season signed Assembly Bill 1783, also known as the Farmworker Housing Act of 2019, which creates a streamlined process to build farmworker housing on agricultural land.
The bill was authored by Assemblymember...
O’Neill Sea Odyssey taps new executive director
SANTA CRUZ — Rachel Kippen will take over the helm of O’Neill Sea Odyssey in March when founding director Dan Haifley retires, the organization announced Tuesday.
Santa Cruz County orders residents to stay home to halt COVID-19 spread
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County officials on Monday ordered all residents to stay home unless engaging in "essential services."
The shelter-in-place order, which goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday and lasts through April 7, is an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19,...
Urn containing girl’s ashes stolen
SANTA CRUZ—The family of the 8-year-old girl who was murdered in 2015 is facing a new tragedy after someone stole the urn containing her ashes.
Madyson “Maddy” Middleton’s family says that her father Michel Middleton was keeping the urn in the glovebox of his unlocked...
Supervisors pass single-use cup fee
SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously adopted an ordinance that will require restaurants and stores to charge a 25-cent fee on all single-use cups starting next summer. The move is aimed at reducing the estimated 50 million to-go cups...
Shakespeare adaptation celebrates Hispanic culture
APTOS—When tasked with choosing a production for Cabrillo College Theater Arts Department’s Fall 2022 season, Abel Cornejo knew he wanted to find something that celebrated Hispanic culture.
After a long search, however, Cornejo still hadn't found just the right play. That’s when he had the...
Two arrested for weapons, drug charges
RIO DEL MAR—Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies on Monday arrested two men for drug and gun charges after one of them pointed a loaded gun at another driver in a road rage incident.
Damian Hernandez, 20, and Israel Ibarra, 18, both Morgan Hill residents, were...
Schools, organizations grapple with coronavirus response
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The World Health Organization on Wednesday classified COVID-19 as a pandemic, as lawmakers and leaders worldwide grapple with rapidly growing numbers of cases.
There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have died. Thousands more have been hospitalized,...
Cabrillo football program suspends operations for two years
It’ll be a few years before fans will see any action from the Cabrillo College football team.
The community college’s Board of Trustees held a special virtual meeting Tuesday evening and came to a unanimous decision to suspend football operations for at least two years.
Cabrillo...
