Local News

APTOS — Last year, the Aptos High School robotics team took top honors in both state and international competitions for building a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that performed a series of complex underwater tasks. In doing so, the team bested competitors from around the globe. The group of 12, who are aged 15-17, is called Watsonville Firefighters Seal Team 1272 after the group that sponsored them. “The competition was an amazing experience and a great place to observe and learn from the machines other people built,” team programmer Pratham Rathi said. ROVs are human controlled robots that are employed to solve a variety of jobs in places where humans cannot reach. The ROV Jason, for example, was used to observe the wreckage of the sunken Titanic. The team’s ROV is Argo V, a nod to the ship of Greek myth in which Jason and his compatriots sailed to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Now, having again won the Marine Advanced Technology Education center annual ROV competition at Watsonville High School on May 12, the team is once again preparing to defend its international crown. That competition — held this year in Seattle, Wash. from June 22-25 — draws elite young engineers from around the globe who pit their homebuilt, underwater robots against each other.

SANTA CRUZ — The former Santa Cruz neurosurgeon who allegedly molested numerous children in crimes caught on videotape was found dead Sunday morning. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s office believes he committed suicide. James Kohut, 59, was in custody since May 2017 in lieu of $7.5...

WATSONVILLE—The future of Santa Cruz County’s syringe services program was in the community’s hands this week. In two meetings held by the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency in Santa Cruz on Nov. 14 and Watsonville on Tuesday, officials asked attendees to outline what questions...

The County of Santa Cruz recently announced the expansion of the CalFresh food assistance program to serve people who receive Supplemental Security Income/Supplemental Payment (SSI/SSP) benefits began June 1.

Sally Vaughn is showcasing her paintings in a new exhibit at the Cabrillo Fitness Club, 6200 Soquel Drive in Aptos.

SANTA CRUZ—Dozens of law enforcement officials in two states arrested four men on Tuesday in connection with the Oct. 1 kidnapping and murder of tech executive and Pleasure Point resident Tushar Atre. Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart said during a Thursday press conference that...

SANTA CRUZ—Second Harvest Food Bank hosted a drive-thru community food distribution Friday at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Supported by numerous volunteers and members of the California National Guard, the distribution unfolded under overcast skies as part of ongoing county-wide distributions that alternate between the...

SOQUEL — The Celtic Society of the Monterey Bay will present guitarist and singer/songwriter John Doyle on June 5 at 7:30 p.m. at a house concert in Soquel. The Irish musician has long been known for his guitar and bouzouki work, from his early days with Irish supergroup Solas, to his duo work with fiddler Liz Carroll, to his work with Nuala Kennedy and Eamon O'Leary as the Alt, to his collaboration with Scottish fiddler John Mckusker and piper Mike McGoldrick.

APTOS—Hundreds gathered Wednesday for Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller's memorial at Cabrillo College under brilliant sunny conditions. Gutzwiller, a former Cabrillo student and Aptos resident, was gunned down while on duty June 6 in Ben Lomond. The event began at 7:45am with a...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Office of Education (COE) has launched a dashboard that summarizes Covid-19 testing results across schools countywide. The dashboard is a partnership with school districts, Inspire Diagnostics and the Santa Cruz County Department of Public Health, COE spokesman Nick Ibarra...