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Aptos
January 17, 2026

On 'The Devil’s Road’

Four Santa Cruz filmmakers set out to bring a historic expedition out of obscurity. The result was a feature-length historical-nature-adventure documentary called “The Devil’s Road.”

United Way accepting applications for Emergency Food and Shelter Program

United Way of Santa Cruz County
The United Way of Santa Cruz County is accepting applications from agencies that provide food and shelter services looking for financial assistance. The local United Way branch will have $340,041 to distribute to qualifying nonprofit, faith-based and local government agencies through its Emergency Food and...

Twin Lakes Church project raises 1M pounds for food bank, $100K for fire relief

Twin Lakes Church's “Kindness Projects” raised more than one million pounds of food for Second Harvest Food Bank, $104,000 for Northern California fire relief and more, the church announced recently.

Supervisors signal support for tenant protection rules

Watsonville evictions
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—One woman lost her job and couldn’t pay rent, and then found herself in a battle with her landlord, who didn’t believe her story and threatened eviction.  A family financially affected by the Covid-19 pandemic found themselves battling a landlord who raised their...

Apple pie contest needs entries

Entries are sought for the 41st Annual Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau Apple Pie Baking Contest during opening day of the Santa Cruz County Fair, Sept. 13. The entry deadline is Tuesday, Sept. 5, postmarked no later than 11:59 p.m. This contest is sponsored by the Pajaro Valley apple growers, shippers and related industries as well as pie lovers throughout Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley. It has been organized by the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau since 1977. 

County supervisors move to streamline rebuilding process

czu august lightning complex fire
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday set the stage for a streamlined process for rebuilding the homes and other structures damaged in the CZU August Lightning Complex fire. The item was part of the consent agenda and therefore garnered no...

Running October call list casts light on domestic violence

WATSONVILLE—Every year during the month of October, the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office sends daily statistics to local media, counting the domestic violence calls to which county law enforcement officials respond. It is a grim tally and a reminder during Domestic Violence Awareness Month...

Three decades of PVUSD tales

James Baker spent 30 years in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, working his way up from a teacher to superintendent. Over those three decades, the school district was faced with integrating bilingual education, a teacher strike, a year-round schedule, the devastation of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and many other trials and tribulations.

Transportation commission approves corridor study

By a narrow 7-4 margin, the commissioners also approved a contract with Minnesota-based Progressive Rail to provide the passenger service. The company currently runs freight rail operations in South County.

Distracted driving increases near schools, survey shows

In October, marking National Teen Driver Safety Week, teenagers across California tallied distracted driving outside their schools during the eighth-annual Roadwatch assessment, an activity organized by the California Friday Night Live Partnership (CFNLP).