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...
PVUSD Trustees approve retention bonuses, other incentives
WATSONVILLE—The Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Aug. 24 approved a series of bonuses and supplemental payments aimed at retaining teachers and school employees.
Every teacher, school worker and administrator employed since April 1—and who plans to stay with the district through...
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).
Realtors warn public of online rental scam
WATSONVILLE—Local realtors and brokers are urging the community to be aware of an online rental scam that is taking advantage of desperate renters.
The scam strips information from sale listings on various websites, repackages them as hyper-affordable rental listings and posts them on sites such...
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...
County moves to oppose all sexual predator placements
After a significant portion of the Bonny Doon community mobilized to try to keep a man who raped a 21-year-old woman in the 1980s from moving to town, Santa Cruz County is now seeking changes to California law, so it can have additional tools...
Carrillo pleads guilty to Gutzwiller killing
SANTA CRUZ—The man who shot a Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s sergeant to death—days after killing a federal building security guard in Oakland during a crime spree two years ago—pleaded guilty Monday to the local charges.
Steven Carrillo, 33, a former U.S. Air Force sergeant, will...
County receives funding for Mid-County low-income housing project
SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously accepted more than $10.6 million in unanticipated revenue, which will be used to build a low-income housing development in Mid-County.
The project at 2838 Park Ave. near Cabrillo College will offer 17 units for...
SACO awards scholarships
The Slavic American Cultural Organization (SACO) introduced its 2019 High School Scholarship Recipients at the club's annual July picnic. Each of the students received an award of $1000. Pictured from left to right: Carrie Frost (Aptos High, Cabrillo College), Marko Zaninovich (Stevenson School, Cornell...
County still weeks away from opening restaurants for dine-in
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Though some rural counties around the state are allowing their restaurants to open for dine-in service, Santa Cruz County officials are still at least several days away from giving their restaurateurs the green light.
That’s according to county spokesman Jason Hoppin, who on...






















