Evacuation center at Lakeview Middle School opens
WATSONVILLE—An additional evacuation center for Santa Cruz County residents fleeing the CZU August Lightning Complex Fires opened Friday night at Lakeview Middle School in Watsonville.
The center is a partnership between the County of Santa Cruz, the City of Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley Unified...
Local students, future explorers
Arturo Sejudo, 19, of Watsonville is shown with a robot that he and other students competed with in the Second Annual NASA Swarmathon at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Photo by Tarmo Hannula
Accused child molester found dead
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...
County unveils vendors for senior meal program
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The County of Santa Cruz announced that five local food businesses have been chosen to deliver fresh, nutritious meals to hundreds of local seniors during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Great Plates Delivered serves food to vulnerable older adults through a federal economic stimulus for...
PVUSD to lay off two dozen employees
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved a proposal to lay off as many as 24 classified employees, a move district officials say was necessary due to declining enrollment.
Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez told the board that the district has lost...
Firefighters battling blaze at Monterey Bay Academy near Watsonville
LA SELVA BEACH—Firefighters on Saturday night were battling a blaze on the Monterey Bay Academy campus on the outskirts of Watsonville.
https://twitter.com/CALFIRECZU/status/1284721308358422530
The fire started around 10:30pm, according to Cal Fire, and was confined to an old movie theater on the private school's campus on 700...
Deeply-rooted Aptos tradition returns
The parade, which typically boasts nearly 200 entries every year, will feature floats, dance groups, dogs, children, civic groups, antique cars, the Watsonville Community Band and more.
A giant falls: Fire destroys Aptos radio tower
APTOS—A blaze that Aptos/La Selva Fire said was likely started by a homeless person seeking warmth has felled one of the towers that once reached into the sky alongside Highway 1 in Aptos.
The tower was part of a quintet of now-silent radio antennae that...
New human resources director takes reins
Since Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Chona Killeen started her position ion July 1, she and her department have hired more than 100 new teachers.
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District in early August was still looking for 22 teachers, a number that was shrinking as candidates came in for interviews less than a week before classes resumed, Killeen said.
The number is down from about 200 vacancies four weeks ago, said interim Assistant Director of Secondary Education Terry Eastman.
Cabrillo College asks voters for support
With several aging buildings in need of upgrades, and an ambitious list of projects on the drawing board, Cabrillo College administrators are hoping that voters will approve a $274.1 million bond measure on the March 3 ballot to pay for it all.
Measure R would...
