News

This past Monday, 36 days after police say Boulder Creek resident James David Collier, 66, shot and killed two men—then left their bodies in the back of a truck in the Santa Cruz Mountains—he had his first day in court. That is, he was scheduled...

Renowned ceramicist Mattie Leeds, 60, might be the best-known artist in Bonny Doon. His enormous pots, which he’s been sculpting for 40 years, are featured in Europe, in the Far East and all around Santa Cruz.

Jeffrey W. Sipes

It was an exceptionally warm July afternoon in the San Lorenzo Valley. I was just on my way back to the Press-Banner’s fortress of journalism from an assignment in Ben Lomond when I discovered that, in my absence, my black car with the dark grey interior had attained a heat level normally reserved for the inside of a volcano.

Three townhouses are taking shape on Blake Lane in Scotts Valley, where Habitat for Humanity’s volunteer workers have put in more than 5,000 hours of work since construction began in October.

A Scotts Valley business owner was arraigned Tuesday, Aug. 30, after he was arrested over the weekend on two child pornography possession charges and one drug possession charge.

Photos from the 4th of July in Scotts Valley and Boulder Creek.

CalFire announced on Wednesday that the City of Scotts Valley and unincorporated areas nearby, including Pasatiempo, Rolling Woods, Paradise Park and Cave Gulch, can repopulate immediately. CalFire has expressed confidence in fire lines protecting communities south of the San Lorenzo Valley to the east of Highway 9. Be sure to check out the current evacuation map to ensure your zone, as identified in the CalFire release, matches up with areas allowed to repopulate. We hope to learn more in coming days about other areas that will be allowed to repopulate, though we expect it will be some time for the hardest hit areas of Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek and Boony Doon. On Wednesday, CZU CalFire reported the Lightning Complex fires was 81,333 acres. While containment has increased to 21%, 23,000 structures are still threatened. On Wednesday, we learned that the staggering number of structures burned is at least 646, with all but 11 in Santa Cruz County. The damage assessment is just 55% complete. While we don't know the exact extent of the damage or the location of every damaged home, the County has released a Damage Assessment Map that contains up-to-date parcel-specific information about the fire's impact. Please visit the County's Fire Resources page for updates on sheltering and other services.