Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury digs into Sheriff’s spy tech
Learning about the dangers of surveillance technology can be empowering, the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury writes in the introduction to the new report they published June 20.
Its latest 20-page look at spy tech and data collection at the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s...
Scotts Valley crime rates rise in some categories, but remain low overall
In a sleepy town like Scotts Valley, it’s par for the course that year-to-year crime percentages swing wildly.
If no robberies happen one year, and then four go down the next (as was the case between 2023 and 2024), you don’t want to read too...
New Nonprofit Aims to Spread Joy Through Horsemanship
A woman who owns a holistic horse-riding business in Felton has launched a nonprofit to spread the joy of horsemanship to people who don’t normally have access to equines.
Kristin Praly established Horse Sense Education and Advocacy as a 501(c)3 charity earlier this year and...
Local quilt group has donated 1,000 covers to fire-impacted families
Firefighters throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains were blanketed in surprise on June 29 when three women showed up with a number of free, hand-made quilts.
Almost 80 firefighters from the Boulder Creek, Felton, Zayante and Ben Lomond fire protection districts received the gifts, which were...
News Briefs | Published May 31, 2024
Santa Cruz shelters unite for first California Adopt-a-Pet Day
Santa Cruz SPCA and the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter will join over 150 California shelters in the state’s first ever Adopt-a-Pet Day on Saturday, June 1.
On this day, from 11am-6pm, both local shelters will provide...
Scotts Valley looks ahead to infrastructure upgrades as costs increase
At its May 15 meeting, Scotts Valley City Council forged ahead with wastewater system improvements, selecting Cushman Contracting in a $1.3 million deal to install a new aeration blower, piping, valves and other instruments at the Scotts Valley Water Reclamation Facility.
The upgrades, meant to...
County releases Thanksgiving Covid guidelines
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Health officials from eight Bay Area counties on Monday issued a set of guidelines created to keep families safe from Covid-19 during the holidays. The recommendations cover travel and gatherings.
The health officers from the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco,...
Santa Cruz Mountains wildfire quelled quickly
A fire that grew to a half-acre in the Santa Cruz Mountains was extinguished quickly Friday morning before it could threaten the nearby communities of Boulder Creek and Brookdale, authorities said.
The fire broke out before 6:30am, said Ben Lomond Fire Protection District Chief Stacie...
Game on: Scotts Valley blanks St. Francis in first county football game of pandemic
By Juan Reyes, Staff Reporter
The Scotts Valley High football team on March 11 shut out St. Francis High, 12-0, at Santa Cruz High School in the county’s first football game of the 2021 pandemic-impacted season.
Scotts Valley coach Louie Walters, who had previously retired at...
Man killed in crash near Felton
A 45-year-old man died early Sunday morning when his vehicle careened off of Graham Hill Road near Felton and smashed onto a tree.
California Highway Patrol Officer Israel Murillo said the man, who has not been named, was driving a 2009 Nissan Altima north on...
News Briefs | Published July 4, 2025
Tree removal leads to temporary closure on Big Basin Highway
Caltrans will temporarily close a section of southbound Highway 236 (Big Basin Highway) left on...