Local News

“This is a game changer,” Gov. Gavin Newsom exulted last week during a news conference. “We are very, very enthusiastic.” Was he talking about his recent coronavirus vaccination? The latest poll in the recall campaign? No, he was reveling in news from what has long been California’s sweet...

There are words that will define this generation of children who were raised in the Santa Cruz Mountains, impacted by Covid and chased from their homes by fire: Strong. Resilient. Tested. Driven. Those words also fit the 2021 San Lorenzo Valley High School boys’ basketball...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—When the pandemic hit one year ago, the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter (SCCAS) was forced to shut down its Healthy Pets For All (HPFA) program, which offered residents free pop-up veterinary clinics. During the first months of the crisis, SCCAS found ways...

In 1989, Northern California was rocked by the Loma Prieta earthquake, which was centered in the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz. The 6.9 quake was responsible for $6 billion in damages (close to $40 billion in today’s dollars), 63 deaths...

San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley neighbors, think back to where you were a year ago today. If you lived in Boulder Creek, Brookdale, Ben Lomond, Felton, Zayante, Lompico, Bonny Doon or Scotts Valley, you had been evacuated from your home, courtesy of the...

A local resident who contends he’s been overcharged for water service for several years says he’s now willing to accept Scott Valley Water District’s offer of three years of back pay. Now David McNair, who took over as SVWD’s general manager Nov. 1, says while...

Those familiar with the popular Vancouver Island lumberjack show “Big Timber” on Netflix, know the riveting storylines that emerge from working with giant trees—and the care it takes to do historic preservation right. Down here in California, in the state’s oldest state park, officials experienced...

Tucked away in a small corner of Scotts Valley, two women are working hard to make a difference in the lives of sex trafficking victims. The Arukah Project is a faith-based nonprofit that works to restore, renew and rebuild survivors’ lives in Santa Cruz...

In her first Scotts Valley City Council meeting since announcing she was moving on to a job in Coronado, city manager Tina Friend on Aug. 4 brought good news about a couple of local projects. “First, if you’ve been coming into town on Mt. Hermon...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County officials on Friday said they will not yet join five other Bay Area counties in preemptively adhering to the regional stay-at-home order announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom Thursday. Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Marin and Santa Clara counties will adopt...