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Death Cap, or amanita phalloides, mushrooms are part of a large display of mushrooms at the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair Friday. The Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History teamed up to present the 50th anniversary event which...

People gather in Corralitos Tuesday to decorate a live tree. Jerry Bonnema said he has headed up the effort for about 30 years. "The first year we did this, it was off the back of a tractor," he said. "I've always enjoyed doing community...

Meetings to discuss proposed fire district assessment Property owners in the Pajaro Valley Fire Protection District are being asked to vote on a new assessment to maintain the Fire District’s current services and operations. According to the district, this measure will help to ensure adequate staffing...

Four awarded Rydell Visual Arts Fellowships Four local visual artists have been selected by Community Foundation Santa Cruz County to receive Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship awards for 2024 and 2025.  The awardees are Christian Rex van Minnen, Louise Leong, Maria Isabel LeBlanc and Shirin Towfiq. Each fellowship...

Every year, a group of volunteers works to make sure that children in need have a toy to unwrap on Christmas day. This behind-the-scenes work, which begins in late summer, is no small feat. It requires wrangling donations of cash and items to build a...

Santa Cruz County residents will consider a half-cent sales tax on the March 5 ballot which, if approved by a simple majority, will fund wildfire protection programs, as well as public safety, road and park improvements and other services. The Santa Cruz County Board of...

Plans are underway to install four larger-than-life sculptures in downtown Watsonville as part of an overall redesign of Watsonville Plaza.  While the historical gazebo/bandstand, designed by famed architect William Weeks, will still maintain its spot in the plaza center, ideas are being discussed to retrofit...

Hundreds of people packed city and county meeting chambers throughout the day on Tuesday to ask local elected leaders to pass resolutions demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict. The action resulted in the Santa Cruz City Council creating a special meeting to discuss...

Melissa Arana, 3, pays visit to Santa Monday at Ramsay Park in Watsonville after Santa and one of his helpers landed in a helicopter. More than 100 people lined up to watch the landing in a soccer field and then stepped up to greet...

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved an emergency declaration for the damages sustained in the storm surges on Dec. 28 and 30. County officials estimate that the waves, which inundated Capitola Village, slammed Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf and wreaked havoc...