Local News

Late January the Vine Hill elementary PTA announced an online auction beginning Feb. 5 and continuing until the PTA’s first-ever virtual live auction on Feb. 20, hosted by Robert Aldana, Bobbie Ward and Garvin Thomas.  These two events form a part of the PTA’s fundraisers...

Jennifer Wadsworth and Mat Weir, Contributing Reporters If you ask beauty salon owners in Santa Cruz County, they’ll tell you the on-and-off lockdowns during the pandemic have been downright backward when it comes to their industry.  Deborah Riley, owner of Lavish Salon in Santa Cruz, says...

SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS—Today the San Lorenzo Valley Water District (SLVWD) and Scotts Valley Water District (SVWD) announced their respective boards of directors will consider possibly consolidating the agencies’ operations in the future. Boards from both water districts will learn more about the consolidation process when...

On Feb. 13, the Scotts Valley Economic Recovery Task Force will host its next event, #ScottsValleyLove from 10am to 6pm. Much like the organization’s holiday open house, residents will pick up goodie bags and visit many businesses throughout town, earning treats and trinkets at each...

Some services, such as outdoor dining, can resume Outdoor dining and other services can resume after Gov. Gavin Newsom on Jan. 25 ended the state’s regional stay-at-home order based on intensive care unit (ICU) capacity.  In its place, the state has returned to the Blueprint for...

Panther Ridge resident Harmony Perna describes Jan. 19 evacuation After a restless night, still recovering from surgery, and concerned with Covid-19, Harmony Perna was not in an ideal condition to evacuate her home on Panther Ridge Road in the morning of Jan. 19.  The Boulder Creek...

County officials warn of debris flows and high winds SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Cal Fire CZU announced Monday morning that many evacuation warnings were updated to orders for swaths of the San Lorenzo Valley, including most of Boulder Creek and various areas of Ben Lomond and Felton...

When Covid-19 began to sweep the U.S.—and brought with it an economic recession—Cabrillo College officials expected a jump in enrollment that typically comes with a battered economy. But the college is now seeing a significant drop in those numbers, which it pins on the double...

UC Santa Cruz librarian and local author Wei Wei published her second book, Journey to Heal, this Jan. The work features 24 nature photos accompanied by poetry reflecting on her healing process after the loss of her father. “It was very hard for me when...

SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS—Heavy overnight and early-morning winds have sparked multiple fires across Santa Cruz County, Cal Fire CZU reported Tuesday morning. Firefighters reported several fires, including one off of Highway 9 in Boulder Creek, another near Empire Grade Road and Alba Road, a 20-acre fire...