Local News

SANTA CRUZ—The man who allegedly fatally shot Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller in Ben Lomond last year during a violent crime spree waived his preliminary hearing Monday in Santa Cruz County Superior Court. The move means Steven Carrillo, who appeared in the courtroom...

Caltrans continues with a vegetation control project over the entire length of Highway 9 in Santa Cruz County in support of California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan to manage vegetation and reduce wildfire risk along the state highway system. The objective of this work...

Boulder Creek Fire Protection District (BCFPD) Chief Mark Bingham can do just about anything.  Since his promotion to fire chief in 2019, Bingham has proven his mettle time and again. He’s managed his team during the Covid-19 pandemic, structure and wildland fires, and the juggernaut...

Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors has voted to establish a Third-party Plan Check (TPC) program that will give permit seekers the option to get their plans reviewed primarily by a consultant they hire, rather than county staff. The program, proposed by Supervisors Manu Koenig...

One person is dead after a fire broke out in the Lockhart Gulch area of Scotts Valley last night. Around 9:30pm, Scotts Valley Fire Protection District firefighters were dispatched to the location, to check on a smoke report, and while en route, the call was...

Richard F. Cortez, the top elected official in Hidalgo County, at the southern tip of Texas, is so full of anticipation for the federal stimulus money that is about to flow into his county that he has memorized the precise amount and happily recites...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—In one of her final acts before her retirement at the end of the year, Santa Cruz County Clerk Gail Pellerin on Tuesday officially certified the results from the 2020 presidential election. More than 86 percent of county voters—a total of 146,857—cast ballots...

Cal Fire CZU Unit Chief Ian Larkin announced the CZU August Lightning Complex Fire was controlled on Dec. 23, a little over four months since the blaze started. Although the fire was declared 100% contained on Sept. 22, emergency responders had to put in much...

New exhibit explores history of legendary winemaker Paul Masson The Saratoga Historical Foundation is featuring Paul Masson (1859-1940), the winemaker who earned the nickname “Champagne King of California" in an exhibit. Masson was a pioneer in California viticulture and known for his sparkling wine and sparkling...