Local News

Hospice of Santa Cruz County awards first nursing scholarship In a significant step toward nurturing and enhancing nursing expertise in the community, Hospice of Santa Cruz County has announced Zach Pobre, LVN, as the inaugural recipient of the Emmi Schambeck Nursing Scholarship. This scholarship, named in...

In its second year of Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS), Pacific Gas and Electric Company has implemented greater organization to inform their customers of these events. PG&E has updated its PSPS procedure to affect fewer customers. It has also pledged to restore almost all...

Santa Cruz County is expected to move from the purple “widespread” tier to the less restrictive red “substantial” tier when the state updates its tier assignments next week, County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel said. That means several indoor business operations could reopen on March...

Though a Jan. 12 webinar about federal Covid-relief funding for local businesses was short and to the point, Scotts Valley City Councilman Randy Johnson still found time to look back on the early days of the pandemic. “Does anyone remember spraying the mail that came...

San Lorenzo Valley High School junior Gianna Schwarzbach has always been an athlete. From the soccer pitch to the campus pool where she plays varsity water polo, Schwarzbach’s constitution is tough as nails. For those who know her, it is no surprise that this...

The lead singers of the band Birdtalker are eager to chat about their latest record, even if they’re in the most indie-band-inspired place ever.  “Right now, we’re in the parking lot of an auto parts store in Boulder, Colorado,” said Zack Green, who founded the...

After young Santa Cruz Mountains resident Brayan Francis belted out a rousing rendition of the “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Bobbie Ward, the owner of Performance Vocals—who once sang for President Ronald Reagan—kicked off Scotts Valley’s Fourth of July festivities Sunday: “Alright, let’s get this parade...

A man who was convicted of rape and looking to move into Bonny Doon had another hearing in Santa Cruz County Superior Court Monday. Judge Syda Cogliati approved Michael Cheek’s placement at a home on Wild Iris Lane in November, but the District Attorney’s Office...

SANTA CRUZ—The man who shot a Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s sergeant to death—days after killing a federal building security guard in Oakland during a crime spree two years ago—pleaded guilty Monday to the local charges. Steven Carrillo, 33, a former U.S. Air Force sergeant, will...

Two students were arrested at Scotts Valley High School Monday by Scotts Valley Police Department officers, as part of a joint investigation with the Santa Cruz Police Department into the assault of a homeless man. The boys—a 16-year-old resident of Scotts Valley and a 14-year-old...