Local News

Santa Cruz County is preparing to welcome the world as the 2026 FIFA World Cup comes to North America, bringing communities together through a countywide celebration of soccer, culture, creativity and connection. Santa Cruz County will host a series of beach celebrations, tournaments, public art...

Disaster preparedness event planned Saturday in Aptos The Long Term Recovery Group of Santa Cruz County, Amateur Radio Emergency Services and the Community Emergency Response Team will host a disaster preparedness event Saturday, June 6, at the Aptos Grange. The event is scheduled from 1-5pm and...

Emergency utility repairs along southbound Highway 9 in Felton are expected to continue through Friday morning, resulting in ongoing traffic impacts near the intersection with Felton Empire Road and Graham Hill Road, according to Caltrans. Utility crews discovered damaged conduit infrastructure Wednesday afternoon and have...

Bonny Doon hosts Wildfire Preparedness Fair this Saturday Supervisor Justin Cummings and the Bonny Doon Fire Safe Council will host a Community Fire Preparedness and Resilience Fair on May 30 at Martin Fire Station in Bonny Doon. The free, family-friendly event is scheduled from 10am-2pm...

Travelers on Highway 9 will encounter daytime and overnight one-way reversing traffic control Tuesday through Friday at multiple locations during the week of May 26, as several construction projects continue in the San Lorenzo Valley. The work is part of multiple ongoing Caltrans projects north...

Santa Cruz tourism sees 1.6% increase in visitor spending Visit Santa Cruz County (VSCC) has announced that the local tourism industry grew by more than one-and-a-half percent in 2025. According to a Dean Runyan Associates report released by Visit California, visitor spending reached $1.401 billion in...

This week, Scotts Valley City Council was set to give direction on more than $9 million in capital spending for fiscal year 2026-27, which was supported by the Planning Commission on May 14. The total amount of $9,426,650 includes $8,536,150 in “major capital projects” (related...

U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta is calling for federal oversight of the U.S. Postal Service over prolonged closures and delays affecting the Brookdale and Almaden Valley post offices following separate fires. In a May 19 letter sent from Washington, D.C., Panetta asked the Office of Inspector...

He was the sort of guy who could paint a sandwich board with a creative flair. He went by the moniker “Oakengard” and was deep into Dungeons and Dragons. But according to the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office, Ciriaco Johnson was not just someone...

California State Parks, in partnership with Cal Fire, is planning prescribed burns at the Sandhills area of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park as part of a long-term effort to reduce wildfire risk and maintain a rare coastal habitat. The planned 8-acre burn in the Bonny...