Santa Cruz County is seeking community opinions as it updates its Hazard Mitigation Plan to reduce losses from natural disasters, with preparedness events in English and Spanish set for the coming month.
free
Fire, police unite to honor fallen Santa Cruz Regional 911 dispatcher
Santa Cruz Regional 911 dispatcher Billie Savell was honored by a formal procession on Saturday after a multiyear battle with stage 4 cancer.
250 pile burns set to take place around Santa Cruz, San Mateo counties
Pile burns are scheduled through April at a number of state parks in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties, including the Forest of Nisene Marks, Henry Cowell and Big Basin.
Skeletal remains discovered in Aromas area identified as missing NY teen
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s office has identified partial skeletal remains that were discovered in a riverbed off Highway 129, east of Rogge Lane, near Aromas, 30 years ago. After remaining a mystery for decades, the remains have finally been identified as belonging to 13-year-old Laura O’Malley from Queens, New York.
Cabrillo College’s Journal X earns ‘Superior’ rank in national contest: A triumph of student creativity and social justice
Cabrillo College is thrilled to announce that its student-run literary magazine, Xinachtli Journal—also known as Journal X—has been awarded the prestigious ‘Superior’ rank in the 2024 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) program. This recognition places Journal X among the best in the nation, celebrating the […]
Save the Redwoods League welcomes Steve Mietz as new CEO
California nonprofit group Save the Redwoods League has named Steve Mietz as its next president and CEO. Mietz, who most recently served as the superintendent of Redwood National and State Parks, replaces Sam Hodder.
Well-known artist Kiebert focus of latest PVA exhibit
Sculptor, teacher and psychologist Coeleen Kiebert is the focus of a new exhibition titled “Art & Spirit” at the Pajaro Valley Arts Gallery in Watsonville.
Highway 9 road closures continue for vegetation work
The entire length of Highway 9 will be affected by road closures this week for a vegetation control project. While the project, which runs through Friday, spans the entirety of the highway, crews will be focused on an area north of Boulder Creek from Juanita Woods Road to just north of the Waterman Gap, Caltrans said.
Janet Johns named 2025 Santa Cruz County Artist of the Year
Janet Johns, who co-founded folklórico dance company Esperanza del Valle in 1978 and has been a fixture in Santa Cruz County arts & culture, has been named the county’s 2025 artist of the year.
Begonia Fest remembered by new art piece in Capitola
Santa Cruz artist Geoffrey Nelson has recently installed his new piece, “Beguiling Begonias,” at the tiny Soquel Creek Park on the corner of Wharf Road and East Cliff Drive, next to the Stockton Avenue Bridge.

