Local News

Holiday gifts come in all shapes and sizes, but the best ones come from the heart.  Just ask Kendra Kannegaard, 27, a former Scotts Valley High School student who loved theater. She has since become the school’s English and drama teacher, and theater juggernaut.  Kannegaard...

Disgruntled ex-Scotts Valley Police Department officer David Ball has launched a new lawsuit against the city of Scotts Valley, Police Chief Steve Walpole, Jr. and his former trainee Pascale Wowak, claiming defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. It’s the third action Ball, who was...

As the old façade on the vacant Kmart building was coming down Dec. 15 in Scotts Valley, in preparation for a Target to stand in its place, it symbolized both residents’ hope for post-pandemic prosperity and a key victory for Derek Timm in his...

At the Dec. 15 San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District meeting, trustees had a private discussion with Superintendent Christopher Schiermeyer about his job performance, just weeks after parents say he berated students in an elementary school classroom for misbehaving. After the public meeting started—17 minutes...

​​Since 2015, Santa Cruz Gives, the digital holiday fundraising program for local nonprofits, has provided financial support to an array of agencies that do good work for others. Whether providing meals, financial assistance or access to job opportunities, the 501c3 organizations selected by Santa...

If life is a compilation of goals dreamed and achieved, then the members of Santa Cruz’ Pop Warner Seahawks have set themselves up for a life of success.  On Dec. 12, the team of 24 Santa Cruz County kids rocked the Camping World Stadium in...

Lynn Robinson, the executive director of Valley Churches United, has a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. In addition to the success of their Sidewalk Holiday Gift Shop, the nonprofit has a new list of benefactors with whom to share its gratitude:...

Joining the gift boutique and taproom slated for the Hangar development—and the ice cream parlor that just opened—in Scotts Valley is a new fitness studio from Santa Cruz resident Peter Malek. The 40-year-old engineer and workout enthusiast says he’s thrilled to be able to bring...

Gabriel Barhell, 56, is a former Air Force medic from Tennessee who served in the first Gulf War. He came to Santa Cruz with his girlfriend, a traveling nurse. And when they broke up, he ended up living in the forest. “There was a glitch in...

A wrongful dismissal lawsuit brought forth by a long-time Scotts Valley Police Department officer accused of sexual harassment claims multiple instances of sexually-inappropriate behavior within the force were never properly investigated. While David Ball’s complaint is primarily centered on the assertion he was discriminated against...