Local News

When Fifth District Supervisor Bruce McPherson was growing up, he thought he might pursue medicine. But he was also drawn to the family business of journalism (his great-grandfather Duncan had purchased the Santa Cruz Sentinel in the 1800s). He chose to become a newspaperman. Now,...

No news is good news, goes the old adage. And Scotts Valley Water District officials are hoping that’s the message they should take from the amount of public comment they got before approving a 5% rate hike—virtually zilch. “We had no one,” said Piret Harmon, the...

The message of the first report card on Scotts Valley’s draft Housing Element from the State: needs improvement. Scotts Valley must comply with the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s requirements by the end of the year in order to avoid serious penalties, like...

A 61-year-old man from Ben Lomond died after his car veered off Highway 17 and smashed into a metal pole Sunday. Just before 9am, Thomas Jacobson was approaching El Rancho Drive northbound when his 1991 Honda left the road for an unknown reason. Investigators say it’s...

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...

While assaults dropped by 27% last year in Scotts Valley, other crimes increased—including burglaries almost doubling, according to stats presented to Scotts Valley City Council by Police Chief Steve Walpole, Jr., Aug. 4. Other so-called Part 1 Crimes that increased between 2019 and 2020 included...

A wildfire that broke out between Felton and Scotts Valley midday Friday was quickly contained at 2.3 acres, as firefighters sought to quell flames in a community where memories of the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire—that torched 900+ homes nearby—are all too fresh. Cal Fire's...

Boulder Creek’s Tyrone Clark refers to himself as a “solutions guy.” He’s been in Boulder Creek since 1991, and when the CZU August Lighting Complex fire swept through the area, he felt compelled to do more than just watch. “When the evacuation orders came down,...

After having supported setting aside funding for local nonprofits, during the Scotts Valley budget process earlier this year, Councilmember Randy Johnson joined Vice Mayor Jim Reed in opposing the move during a test run for regular in-person City Council meetings, Oct. 19. In a 3-2...