News Briefs | Published Jan. 19, 2024
Elections clerk to provide update at League of Women Voters event
Santa Cruz County elections clerk Tricia Webber will update the community on the March 5 primary election on Saturday, Jan. 27, 10:15-11:30am at the Felton Branch Library, 6121 Gushee St., in Felton.
Webber will discuss...
California State Parks begins pile burning through April
California State Parks has begun burning piles in various State Parks in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties.
Burning began Jan. 5, with conditions dependent on the weather, and will continue as it is safe and there is predicted weather that will facilitate smoke dispersal.
Over...
News Briefs | Published Jan. 12, 2024
Arrest made in Santa Cruz County freeway shooting
Detectives assigned to the California Highway Patrol’s (CHP) Coastal Division Investigative Services Unit, working in partnership with detectives from the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), have arrested 33-year-old Raphael Shakur Abduh-Salam of Hayward, Calif., after identifying...
Cases of sexual misconduct still plague San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District
Just as the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District sorted out one inappropriate-behavior situation, another materialized.
Trustees had voted to let teacher Eric Kahl resign, at their Sept. 14, 2021, board meeting, after learning he’d subjected female students to unwelcome sexual advances (in exchange, Kahl...
Santa Cruz County supervisors move to stop wage theft, investigate Project Labor Agreements
Santa Cruz County First District Supervisor Manu Koenig, in collaboration with Fourth District Supervisor Felipe Hernandez, urged an operational review of how County Public Works projects are awarded to ensure that the contractors selected pay their workers fairly and complete projects on time.
The Dec....
SLVUSD explores selling land of historic schoolhouse that burned
A century ago, Alba Road—between Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek—was home to Walter Ranch, which boasted 5,000 strawberry plants, the pioneering Guichard family, easy access to about a dozen saloons, and a cute one-room schoolhouse built in 1985 1895.
This early educational institution was devoured...
Scotts Valley Police arrest elder fraud suspects
Scotts Valley Police officers met with an elderly adult on Dec. 12 regarding the theft, and subsequent fraudulent use, of his debit card.
The 71-year-old victim had been at the Safeway store when a female approached him saying he had dropped a $20 bill. When...
CHP Capt. Ching bids farewell
While some retirees may sail off into the sunset, California Highway Patrol Capt. Aaron Ching is taking a new approach to that old adage as he prepares to paddle into the sunset.
Thanks to Neftali Espino of Honeymoon Surfboards and efforts by CHP staff, Ching...
Scotts Valley welcomes Johnson as new mayor
In a wool sport coat he’d picked up while in Manhattan, Scotts Valley outgoing Mayor Jack Dilles glanced over to see the man taking his job approaching. There was Vice Mayor Randy Johnson in a striking navy blue suit and tie.
“You look great,” Dilles...
News Briefs | Published Dec. 22, 2023
Board approves sales tax measure for March ballot
Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Dec. 5 to place a half-cent sales tax measure on the 2024 March primary ballot.
At 9%, sales tax in the unincorporated area is currently tied for the lowest among...
New Scotts Valley Council members look forward to making their mark
After first-place finisher Donna Lind, the incumbent for Scotts Valley City Council, local voters selected Steve Clark—a retired law enforcer, known for volunteering around...