Local News

Free yard waste disposal for 5th District residents Supervisor Monica Martinez’s Office has announced a no-cost yard waste disposal program for residents of the San Lorenzo Valley and unincorporated Scotts Valley areas. To support community home hardening and wildfire fuel reduction, residents can dispose of yard...

Updated June 27, 2022 at 5:22pm: 90% containment. A fire burning along Highway 17 was 90% contained at 5:20pm after burning two acres Monday, authorities said. Cal Fire learned of the blaze near the summit—on the Santa Cruz County side in the Alta Vista Lane area—at...

The city of Scotts Valley has agreed to settle a lawsuit, over damage caused by stormwater drainage, for $600,000. According to Frederick H. Ebey, of Watsonville-based Grunsky Law Firm, the City has agreed to pay his client, Scott Beam, $450,000, for erosion at his Bean...

With homes nestled amongst majestic oaks, redwoods and deciduous pines on steep hillsides entwined with seasonal streams or sprawling meadows that welcome wildlife, residents of Scotts Valley and the San Lorenzo Valley live in one of the more serene locations in the U.S. The beauty...

SAN FRANCISCO—The Ben Lomond man who used a homemade assault rifle to kill a federal law enforcement officer outside an Oakland courthouse nearly two years ago pleaded guilty on Feb. 11 to the charges in Northern District Court in San Francisco. Steven Carrillo, who formerly...

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...

SANTA CRUZ—The fate of Santa Cruz County’s rail line is now in the hands of the voters. The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 4-0 to place on the June 7 ballot an initiative which, if successful, would amend Santa Cruz County’s...

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...

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...

In a 10-2 decision, a 12-person jury has found Caltrans partly responsible for the 2019 death of 22-year-old pedestrian Josh Howard along Highway 9. In a verdict announced Wednesday afternoon in Santa Cruz County Superior Court after days of deliberation, they set damages at $19.25...