News

California State Parks and Sempervirens Fund recently announced the permanent addition of the 153-acre NoraBella property to expand Big Basin Redwoods State Park, marking the park’s first acquisition in 15 years. The $2.415 million purchase is the first addition to the park since 2011, when...

Santa Cruz METRO celebrates Earth Day with free fares Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) is celebrating Earth Day by offering free fares countywide on all fixed-route, ParaCruz and Highway 17 Express services on Wednesday, April 22. As part of this year’s Earth Day celebration, METRO...

During the month of April, Scotts Valley Police Department will conduct an enforcement operation focused on drivers suspected of violating the hands-free cell phone law. Under current law, drivers are not allowed to hold a phone or electronic communications device while operating a vehicle. This...

North County Dems host candidate endorsement forum The Democratic Club of North Santa Cruz County will host a Candidate Endorsement Forum for the upcoming June Primary on Saturday, April 11, at 1pm. Candidates for Superior Court Judge Office Three will include Bryan Joseph Hackett and Alisa...

Santa Cruz County Environmental Health has expanded its free well water testing program to cover 12 additional chemicals, giving residents more comprehensive information about their drinking water. Testing is offered in partnership with the Central Coast Drinking Water Well Testing Program. All Santa Cruz County...

Scott Weese, a division chief with Cal Fire CZU, spends plenty of time pouring over forest-fuel-environment maps and briefing safety crews on weather conditions. The fire behavior analyst has been paying close attention to the scorching temperatures that broke records in March across California, but...

Good Friday Prayer Service set in Ben Lomond Residents are invited to gather for a Community Good Friday Prayer Service hosted by five San Lorenzo Valley churches on Friday, April 3, from 12-1pm at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. The service, centered on the theme “Looking to...

Caltrans announced March 18 that speed limits will change on a 0.74-mile segment along Highway 17 in Santa Cruz County, following a recent engineering and traffic survey. The study section begins at the southern terminus of Highway 17 with the Highway 1 interchange and extends...

Mali LaGoe caught Scotts Valley City Council off-guard with some major announcements at the body’s regularly-scheduled meeting today. “After extensive public outreach, it’s been determined that the highest and best use of the Siltanen ballfields is to immediately convert them to the largest dog park...

Travelers will encounter daytime one-way reversing traffic control Monday through Friday at multiple locations on Highway 9 during the week of March 30. Caltrans noted that there will be no traffic control in effect on Tuesday, March 31, for the state holiday. • Between McGaffigan Mill...