A welcome relief
After months of taking a circuitous route to take their children to and from school and to run everyday errands, residents of a small Aptos neighborhood on Aug. 7 for the first time walked across a new bridge that connects them to their community.
Cool weather helps firefighters notch ‘best day yet’
SCOTTS VALLEY—Cool, moist weather throughout the day continued to help firefighters battle the CZU August Lightning Complex fires, which have now scorched 78,684 acres, and as of Monday night was 13% contained, firefighters told reporters during a press conference.
During the conference, Santa Cruz County...
Second Harvest launches food drive
APTOS—In Santa Cruz County, one in four children are considered food insecure, a number Second Harvest Food Bank CEO Willy Elliott‑McCrea called “staggering” and “unacceptable.”
The growing numbers of hungry people who struggle to feed themselves and their families was the impetus – and the...
Aptos man shot, killed by San Jose Police
SAN JOSE—A 29-year-old Aptos man was shot and killed Saturday by police on Highway 85 during a vehicle stop, San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia said Wednesday.
San Jose Police say that the man, who has not been named, was the passenger during the stop...
New dashboard details school-based Covid-19 testing results
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Office of Education (COE) has launched a dashboard that summarizes Covid-19 testing results across schools countywide.
The dashboard is a partnership with school districts, Inspire Diagnostics and the Santa Cruz County Department of Public Health, COE spokesman Nick Ibarra...
Covid-19, fires taxing service providers
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The CZU August Lightning Complex fires have so far destroyed more than 500 homes and forced 77,000 people to evacuate from their community. Those people have flooded evacuation centers throughout the county.
That, coupled with the Covid-19 pandemic that has upended the economy...
Aptos thrift store breaks own gift-giving record
APTOS—Since Caroline’s Nonprofit Thrift Shop opened its doors in 2010, owner Christy Licker has given tens of thousands of dollars to local organizations that support children.
In 2017, Licker handed out $275,000 to 26 organizations, which at the time was a record-breaking amount for the...
Santa Cruz METRO steps up disinfecting routines to keep rolling
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Deep cleaning is now routine at Santa Cruz METRO to not only keep their fleet on the road, but to assure riders that busses are squeaky clean.
Every day since early March, before the first person in Santa Cruz County was diagnosed with...
Hundreds attend annual MLK march
SANTA CRUZ—Hundreds of people filled the streets of downtown Santa Cruz Monday to participate in the third-annual Martin Luther King march, an event co-sponsored by the NAACP and the Santa Cruz Police Department.
“This is a business model of the Santa Cruz Police Department,” said...
Dead body found on Manresa Beach
LA SELVA BEACH — Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating after a woman’s body was found on Manresa Beach Friday morning.