Local News

Music at Skypark concert series returns The free community-wide outdoor Music at Skypark concert series returns for its 14th season on the last Sundays of August and September this summer (Aug. 27 and Sept. 24). The concerts are staged at Skypark in Scotts Valley. There’s...

The City of Scotts Valley has turned to a former Capitola official to fill the considerable gap left with the surprise departure of Public Works Director Chris Lamm, who resigned to take a job with Santa Clara County. Steve Jesberg, who retired in 2022 from...

Steel Bonnet Brewing Company has announced the opening of a brand-new production brewery in Salinas, representing a significant increase in production capacity over their current brewery in Scotts Valley and providing the opportunity for significant expansion of growth both at the tap room and...

A slate of bands brought hardcore and punk energy to the Saloon Room at the storied Brookdale Lodge last Friday. Despite the growling vocals, thrashing sonics and aggressively swirling bodies in the circle pit, the Aug. 11 event—featuring Mondo Chaga, Curb Creeps, Bastard Machine and...

Santa Cruz County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) approved the merger of the fire departments that serve Scotts Valley and Branciforte on Aug. 2. Scotts Valley Councilmember Allan Timms said he was glad to see the Scotts Valley Fire District absorb its beleaguered neighbor. “The Branciforte...

Mark Meyer, 61, headed out of town for a wedding over the weekend, and on Sunday when he returned, pulling into his spacious driveway perched at the top of rural Scotts Valley near Lodato Park, he noticed a protrusion along the ridgeline toward Aptos. The...

Santa Cruz Supervisor and current Board Chair Zach Friend announced Friday that he will not seek a fourth term on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.  Friend was first elected in 2012, and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2016 and 2020.  His current term ends...

Court documents in a lawsuit brought by a 7-year-old Brook Knoll Elementary School student against the Scotts Valley Unified School District show the superintendent considered calling Child Protective Services (CPS) on the parents of the boy, who was protesting the District’s Covid-19 control measures. They...

In line with state and local efforts to develop a statewide Master Plan for Aging, the County of Santa Cruz has announced it has been designated an “Age-Friendly Community” by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). The County’s Human Services Department sought the designation...

A voice rings out over the handheld radio: “Numerous callers reporting gunfire in the middle school gym.” With that, the first active shooter scenario of the afternoon kicks into gear. On July 14, at the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District tri-campus, the Santa Cruz...