Local News

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) on Thursday discussed the future of the county’s rail line, and possibly setting it aside for future use while first focusing on building a bicycle and pedestrian path. In a report to the commission, RTC...

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a plan to redistribute some 3,400 residents—the majority in the northern reaches of the county—as part of the county’s decennial redistricting process. Under the plan, 491 people in Watsonville’s Apple Hill District will shift from...

Travelers will encounter a full closure of Highway 9 at Jaye’s Slide, which started June 12 and continues through June 26, as Caltrans crews make repairs to damage from winter storms. Jaye’s Slide is located on Highway 9 in Ben Lomond, near Park Way and...

On Monday, Scotts Valley began re-opening Skypark, the large grassy field at the center of the city’s recreational life, after it was damaged by firefighters battling last year’s wildfires. But its new lease on life didn’t come soon enough for the Kiwanis Club of Scotts...

Panther Ridge resident Harmony Perna describes Jan. 19 evacuation After a restless night, still recovering from surgery, and concerned with Covid-19, Harmony Perna was not in an ideal condition to evacuate her home on Panther Ridge Road in the morning of Jan. 19.  The Boulder Creek...

When Scotts Valley High School grad Alissa Anderson, 18, started out as a freshman, she fit right in with the cheerleading team and the drama group. But her grades started spiraling down the drain—all the way to C’s and D’s and F’s. “My mom would...

The County of Santa Cruz has announced an $850,000 state grant to help assure access to safe drinking water for the community served by Big Basin Water Company for the immediate future. The emergency one-time grant was sought by the Office of Response, Recovery and...

Voting day is on Nov. 8, and several candidates for the San Lorenzo Valley Water District Board of Directors are looking for your vote.  Two of the currently seated directors—Board President Gail Mahood, and Jayme Ackemann—will maintain their positions for the balance of their terms,...

At this time last year, Allan Timms wasn’t even an American. But by press time he had risen—if only slightly—above Scotts Valley’s Vice Mayor in his bid for a seat on Council. So, how did it feel to see some success, as the vote tallies...

In August of 2020, local artist Mary May Tartaro almost lost it all. She and her family lived on 25 acres in the San Lorenzo Valley with multiple buildings on their property, including their family home, Tartaro’s artist studio, her son’s cabin, a guest...