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Aptos
February 23, 2026

All hands on deck for the holidays

This year, however, could prove to be one of the organization's most difficult in its three-decade history. The loss of Toys R Us, which shut down all of its stores in the nation in June, could result in 1,500 fewer toys this year, according to Valadez.

Girl Scout Troop 10213 donates jackets

Girl Scout Troop 10213 of Aptos recently donated more than 50 jackets to Dominican Hospital as part of their holiday charity project. The 10- and 11-year-olds collected the coats through donation drives at Mar Vista and Soquel elementary schools. The jackets will be added to the hospital’s “patient closet,” and will be provided to any patient who needs a coat when they leave the hospital.

Roasting racks up $50K for inclusive park

The dinner, held at Seascape Golf Club, was a benefit for LEO’s Haven, the first all-inclusive playground being built in Chanticleer Park by the Santa Cruz Playground Project.

3rd Annual Soquel Village Sip & Stroll Wine Walk

A selection of wines from the newly opened Soquel tasting room, Vinocruz, was part of the third annual Soquel Village Sip & Stroll on Saturday. The event included a number of area wineries who set up stations throughout Soquel Village.

Police searching for missing Watsonville girl

WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police are asking for the public’s help in finding a 12-year-old girl who ran away from home Tuesday evening.  Mary Guadalupe Curiel Lopez was last seen leaving a friend’s house on Grant Avenue around 5:30 p.m. wearing black pants and a black shirt with...

Cabrillo College approaches six decades

Cabrillo College in Aptos is shown in an aerial photo. The first classes were actually held in temporary quarters within the partially abandoned old Watsonville High School in 1959. Freshman enrollment was about 700 students at what was then known as Cabrillo Junior College, according to historian Sandy Lydon.

Hit and run suspect facing manslaughter charges

A Watsonville man is facing felony vehicular manslaughter charges after a woman he allegedly struck with his vehicle on June 5 died from her injuries.

Santa Cruz County Fair

There were several events special for the fair’s opening day. As per tradition, the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau and the Watsonville Firefighters Association hosted the Opening Day Barbecue in Paddy Smith Park. People enjoyed a lunch of tri-tip, salad and garlic bread while South Bay Swing Band performed nearby on the Amphitheater Stage.

Aptos/La Selva fire district welcomes new chief

Aaron Lowe has been tapped as the new fire chief of the Aptos/La Selva Fire Protection District, the board of directors recently announced. Lowe was selected from a field of 31 applicants after a five-month nationwide recruitment process, according to fire district officials. His base salary is $190,000, according to a contract approved by the board of directors on April 12. “I’m truly excited about coming to the Aptos/La Selva area,” said Lowe, who begins his new post on April 23. “When this opportunity came up, I was thrilled. It’s quite an amazing opportunity that I did not want to pass up.”

The other kind of tweet

The 15th annual Monterey Bay Birding Festival launched early Friday with its three-day run of lectures, field trips, pelagic journeys, bird counts and samples of local foods and wines.