County’s budget cuts to Sheriff’s Office eased
SANTA CRUZ— The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved an $874 million budget for the coming year that includes cuts and position reductions to every department in the county.
According to County Budget Manager Christina Mowrey, the reductions include furloughs of 5-10%,...
Sheriff’s office warns of phone scam
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is warning of a scam in which callers warn residents they have a warrant, and demand money.
The individual has identified himself as “John Steel” with the Sheriff’s Office and requests money from the victim. The number...
Card skimmers found at second gas station
WATSONVILLE—Watsonville police are again warning the public to be careful with their credit and debit cards after an investigator found two card skimmers at a gas pump.
Credit card skimmers are often installed on gas pumps by criminals to steal account information. They can be...
Boardwalk featured in latest 'Transformers' film
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk can be seen in Paramount Picture’s new "Transformers" spin-off movie "Bumblebee," which is now playing in theaters.
Thousands flock to World’s Shortest Parade
The Fourth of July parade unfolded along a section of Soquel Drive Thursday, with 103 entries in what has been branded as the World’s Shortest Parade.
Moss Landing mushroom business expands to Santa Cruz
SANTA CRUZ—Far West Fungi mushroom farm of Moss Landing is branching out. They recently opened their first-ever store in downtown Santa Cruz.
In the works for the past two years, the new spot will feature about 16 varieties of fresh mushrooms, dozens of dried mushrooms,...
CZU Complex now state’s 9th-most destructive fire ever recorded
SCOTTS VALLEY—The CZU August Lightning Complex has destroyed 1,483 structures as of Tuesday morning, making it the ninth-most destructive fire ever recorded in the state.
The majority of those structures are single-family homes in the Santa Cruz mountain towns of Boulder Creek and Bonny Doon,...
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...
CHP: Unlicensed teen driver was drunk, had gun and billy club
A California Highway Patrol officer arrested a 16-year-old boy early Wednesday morning on suspicion that he was driving under the influence of alcohol, CHP officer Sam Courtney said.
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).
