News

With Covid-19 travel restrictions easing, borders opening and the relaxation of mask mandates at popular destinations, people are once again turning their attention to what used to be a familiar gateway for many Americans—the airport. For those who remain wary of venturing out into the...

On Dec. 16 the Scotts Valley City Council appointed its new mayor, Derek Timm, and vice-mayor, Jim Reed. Both men look forward to tackling daunting challenges that 2021 presents, such as facilitating economic recovery, expanding affordable housing and addressing racism alongside the community. Timm hopes...

When a group of San Lorenzo Valley Elementary School students gave their parents the rundown of their day on Nov. 10, the stories seemed almost unbelievable: they said the new San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District Superintendent, Chris Schiermeyer, had entered their fourth-grade class,...

Students and their parents got a blast of culture from around the globe Sunday at Vine Hill Elementary School. Organizers estimated more than 500 people turned out for the inaugural Scotts Valley Unified Multicultural Fair. Attendees passed food trucks serving an array of dishes, before arriving...

Audrey Parmenter is the embodiment of a good kid. A tenacious, inquisitive student with good grades and a fierce serve on the volleyball court, the San Lorenzo Valley High School senior has quietly been making a difference in the lives of those affected by...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—At least 5,600 doses of vaccinations for the novel coronavirus have been distributed throughout Santa Cruz County, a number that county health officials at a Friday press conference said has been significantly impacted by plodding distribution from the state. Overall, the county has...

California State Parks has released its recovery plan for Big Basin Redwoods State Park, the oldest one in California. Nearly five years on from the CZU Lightning Complex Fire, which torched over 90% of the park and destroyed more than 900 homes in the area,...

Thomas the Tank Engine had just finished carrying one of his last groups of passengers from Roaring Camp Railroads along the San Lorenzo River and back. Friday, July 29, was his first day of the first of two three-day weekends of full schedules of 30-minute rides for his fans.Then the Really Useful Engine got the call from CalFire dispatchers: They needed his help to bring an injured swimmer from the Garden of Eden swimming hole a couple miles down the track to an evacuation helicopter.CalFire would say later that the track – and Thomas – offered the fastest and most direct route for the rescue crew in the rugged mountain terrain.Thomas was up the task, taking the rescuers to the riverbank spot, then carrying them, with an injured 22-year-old woman, back to Roaring Camp. A rescue vehicle took her from there to a nearby helicopter landing area at Henry Cowell Park where Stanford Life Flight carried her to Stanford Medical Center for treatment of a head injury sustained in a fall at the popular swimming spot. She was not identified.Roaring Camp estimated that up to 30,000 people would visit Thomas and related activities on each of these special weekends. Felton has a population of about 4,000.The Thomas train is to return to Roaring Camp for two weekends in October.Hundreds of workers on these special weekends who are affiliated with local non-profits donate their wages to their organizations.They include Santa Cruz County Friday Night Live, Valley Elite Cheer, San Lorenzo Valley Rotary Club, Girl Scouts of California Central Coast, and Sunrise House. The groups raise from several hundred dollars to up to $6,000 each.

A man and two children were hospitalized after a fire spread through a second story residential area above the Brookdale Post Office in the early hours of Friday the 13th. Jon Bowles, 52, said he was in his downstairs unit when he heard a rumbling...

The Cal Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit (CZU) had a plan of how to handle the lightning strikes that eventually set off one of the most destructive fires in the history of the state: the now-infamous CZU August Lightning Complex. “We followed the plan to...