News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Watsonville Community Hospital and Dominican Hospital have restarted offering elective procedures after they were put on hold to help slow the spread of Covid-19 and to prepare for a surge of patients with the disease.  This includes procedures such as surgeries, endoscopies, cardiac...

The 15th annual Monterey Bay Birding Festival is on deck for a three-day run of lectures, field trips, pelagic journeys, scintillating slide shows and local foods and wines.

WATSONVILLE—A huge program is underway in Watsonville to help keep students finely tuned and focused on education through the summer. Jen Bruno, a curriculum coach, said the Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s Extended Learning Programs (ELP) over the past few weeks has loaded more than...

A 4.6-magnitude earthquake centered in Boulder Creek rattled the Central Coast at 1:41am Thursday morning, with tremors felt as far north as Santa Rosa, northwest to Sacramento and Fresno and south to Salinas, according to the United States Geological Survey. No damage or injuries were...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A team of six pilots took the sky over Santa Cruz County Saturday in a first-ever local aerial tribute to those giving to their community during the Covid-19 pandemic. Lightning Formation Airshows (LFA), with support from Watsonville Municipal Airport, painted the sky with...

The Federal Highway Administration agreed to reinstate time extensions allowing dozens of emergency winter storm road repair projects in the unincorporated parts of the county to move forward.  This time extensions mean projects will remain eligible to receive federal emergency relief funds previously committed to...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Catherine Barr, Executive Director of Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets, was in good spirits Tuesday. She had just received news that the Cabrillo Farmers Market in Aptos would remain open during the countywide shelter-in-place order due to COVID-19. “I am over the moon...

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...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 14 agreed to allow the county to join a lawsuit that would stop the federal government from issuing leases for fossil fuel extraction within its borders. The lawsuit would in essence help preserve local...

CAPITOLA—Pier 1 Imports announced Tuesday that it will close all 540 of its stores nationwide, sell its inventory and liquidate its assets. The sales will begin at the Capitola store as soon as the Santa Cruz County Health Department allows it to open. The company’s website...