Santa Cruz County jury trials to resume
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County Superior Court plans to resume jury trials in late summer, a little more than two months after they were temporarily suspended due to concerns over Covid-19.
Presiding Judge Paul Burdick announced on March 17 that all jury trials—including criminal, civil...
Garden opening marks rebirth of Aptos Library
Ofelia Garcia (right) of the Friends of the Aptos Library speaks to a crowd gathered to celebrate the opening of the walk-through garden at Aptos Library. Photo by Bek Sabedra
Santa Cruz County COVID-19 testing still limited as cases increase
SANTA CRUZ—More than 175 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Santa Cruz County, and 24 of them have come back positive.
That’s according to county Health Services Director Mimi Hall, who at Tuesday morning’s Board of Supervisors meeting said that the county is still limited...
PVUSD eliminates School Resource Officer program
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Wednesday voted to permanently end its School Resource Officer program at Watsonville, Pajaro Valley and Aptos high schools, and to redirect the funds to socio-emotional counselors.
The district will also look into creating wellness centers...
Jail reports second inmate death in a week
SANTA CRUZ—A man was found dead in his cell at Santa Cruz County Main Jail Monday morning, marking the second death at the jail in less than a week.
German Carrillo, 24, was in custody on murder, assault and gang charges, Jail records showed.
Carrillo was...
RTC publicly discusses railbanking Santa Cruz Branch
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) on Thursday discussed the future of the county’s rail line, and possibly setting it aside for future use while first focusing on building a bicycle and pedestrian path.
In a report to the commission, RTC...
Dentistry, clinics hope to bounce back after closure
SACRAMENTO—Gov. Gavin Newsom on April 22 announced plans to allow hospitals to resume surgeries and other procedures that were delayed while the state grapples with the novel coronavirus pandemic.
These procedures include heart valve replacements, angioplasty and tumor removals, and key preventive care services, such...
Man arrested for firing shots; no injuries
LIVE OAK — Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies on Sunday arrested a man who reportedly fired several shots into the air in the area of Winkle Drive and Soquel Avenue.
Anthony Martinez-Franco, 18, was charged with willful discharge of a firearm, possession of a firearm...
Seven homes on deck from Habitat for Humanity
A total of seven homes are planned for an ongoing Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay project in the Live Oak area of Santa Cruz.
Artists sought for annual plein air competition
Registration is now open for the third annual Capitola Plein Air juried competition, exhibition and sale.


















