Former SLVUSD teacher won’t have to register as sex offender after guilty plea
A former San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District middle and high school teacher who was accused of abusing a 10-year-old girl during private after-school lessons pleaded guilty to a felony assault count in Santa Cruz County Superior Court Wednesday.
Judge Paul Burdick ordered Michael Henderson...
Homelessness Update Shows Mixed Results In Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County has reduced homelessness among families by 59% compared to 2019, even as overall homelessness in the county increased by 6%.
That’s according to preliminary results of the county’s biannual Point-In-Time (PIT) count released Aug. 5 by the Housing for Health Partnership.
Santa Cruz...
Man gets 127 years for murder in Santa Cruz Mountain Road
A man was sentenced on Oct. 15 to 127 years to life in prison for a murder that happened on a rural Santa Cruz Mountain road, District Attorney Jeff Rosell recently announced.
Albaro Amaral Montalvo, Jr. was convicted of the murder of Kevin Medina Lopez....
County park will honor late Sheriff’s deputy
APTOS—Plans were announced Thursday of a major renovation of Willowbrook County Park to honor the late Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, who was gunned down in the line of duty in 2020.
The project of “reimagining” the park was announced in a brief...
Ben Lomond Man Drowns After Car Crashes into Zayante Creek
A 78-year-old Ben Lomond man died on April 7 after his vehicle went off the road and into Zayante Creek, authorities said.
Don Daily was traveling southbound on Quail Hollow Road in a 2013 Kia Soul around 11am when it careened down a dirt embankment,...
One Found Dead in Burning Car Along Pacific Coast Highway
First responders raced along Pacific Coast Highway, Dec. 14 around 6pm, as flames shot above a car sitting motionless at an oceanside turnout north of Scott Creek in Swanton.
When firefighters and the California Highway Patrol arrived, they found a dead body inside the four-door...
Brookdale Lodge Deemed Historical Location
Santa Cruz County is replete with points of interest and historical locations. From the Mystery Spot to Wilder Ranch to Felton Covered Bridge, the area is rich in cultural experiences that blend the past with the present, like the Brookdale Lodge.
Built in 1890, with...
Boulder Creek Nonprofit Reaps ‘Giving Tuesday’ Benefits With Fundraiser
Efforts to help homeless people in the North County got a boost this week when a Santa Cruz bar held a Giving Tuesday fundraiser for a Boulder Creek nonprofit.
The Free Guide, one of the groups behind the Veterans Village in Ben Lomond, was the...
SLVUSD Bands Persevere
San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District’s Music Director Carey Liston knows the show must go on.
Despite rapid-fire setbacks for her band members ranging from elementary to high school students, Liston has somehow managed to not only maintain her current ledger of students but expand...
Ben Lomond Man Dies in Highway Crash
A 61-year-old man from Ben Lomond died after his car veered off Highway 17 and smashed into a metal pole Sunday.
Just before 9am, Thomas Jacobson was approaching El Rancho Drive northbound when his 1991 Honda left the road for an unknown reason.
Investigators say it’s...
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...