News

WATSONVILLE—Cal Fire on Tuesday night ordered more than 22,000 residents in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties to evacuate as the CZU August Lightning Complex fires began to spread throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains. Temporary shelters have been set up across the region to house...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Gov. Gavin Newsom on May 14 released an updated state budget that calls for a 10 percent cut to school districts across the state. Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez said that the district is looking at a $19.18 million slash. Watsonville/Aptos/Santa...

SOQUEL — A Soquel woman was arrested Monday after she allegedly tried to kick out the windows of a patrol car after she was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, California Highway Patrol officer Trista Drake said. Rochelle Lynette Sherman, 49, was charged with DUI and battery on an emergency official. She was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail. According to Drake, police stopped Sherman’s vehicle in the parking lot of the Home Depot on the 2600 block of Soquel Avenue at about 9 p.m.

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...

A new mid-county safety center will open in the new Aptos Village development in early 2019, county officials announced.

SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz police on Saturday arrested a San Jose man on numerous charges after a chase that led more than 10 miles through the northern reaches of the county. Albert Blanco, 38, was charged with carjacking and felony reckless evading. He was not in...

WATSONVILLE—A candidate for Watsonville City Council is calling for Councilwoman Ari Parker to resign for abuse of power after she challenged his standing as a teacher on his candidate statement, and asked City officials to scrub his designation. But Parker is saying that she...

"We are so happy that we got to participate," she said. "We are also so said that it's going to be the last one. We hope something will continue." In January, the Capitola Begonia Festival committee announced that the 2017 iteration of the festival will be the last. Golden State Bulb Growers, which grows the begonia blossoms in Marina, is retiring from the business of growing begonias, but agreed to donate the blossoms for the festival for one final time.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Saying that she has not yet seen reliable data that a countywide masking mandate would alter personal behavior or lower Covid-19 cases, Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel said she does not plan to issue a new order any time...

Sereno Group, a commercial and residential realtor, was the first business to open its doors in the Aptos Village Project. On Jan. 25, the folks inside the business were adjusting to their new environs, said Coastal Regional Manager Gina Odom said.