COVID-19

WATSONVILLE—Two Watsonville area charter schools received funds through the federal Payroll Protection Program (PPP), the $660 billion initiative created to use taxpayer dollars to help keep small business and nonprofit organizations afloat. Watsonville Prep School, which received more than $1.7 million, and Ceiba College Preparatory...

SANTA CRUZ—Second Harvest Food Bank hosted a drive-thru community food distribution Friday at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Supported by numerous volunteers and members of the California National Guard, the distribution unfolded under overcast skies as part of ongoing county-wide distributions that alternate between the...

WATSONVILLE—Eight people at the Salvation Army Shelter in Watsonville tested positive for Covid-19 last week, forcing the site to temporarily close for cleaning Friday.  Santa Cruz County health officials were notified that a resident of the Salvation Army Shelter on Union Street tested positive for...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Every school district in Santa Cruz County will be required to begin the 2020-21 school year with distance learning, Santa Cruz County Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah announced Monday. The announcement came after the county on Monday met California Department of Public Health’s...

WATSONVILLE—Like other nonprofits in Santa Cruz County, Watsonville Wetlands Watch has had to adapt to a new normal amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. When shelter-in-place restrictions went into effect in mid-March, the organization immediately started working on putting all of its programs and field trips...

WATSONVILLE—Pajaro Valley Unified School District will begin the year with distance learning for all students when classes begin on Aug. 17, a measure meant to keep students and staff safe from Covid-19 as the virus continues to spread throughout the state. PVUSD Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—A group of local transportation organizers is hoping that, within the span of a decade, a passenger rail will run from Watsonville to Santa Cruz, making stops at hubs where busses will whisk passengers to further destinations.  For commuters who wish to eschew...

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz METRO received a $20,560,417 federal grant on July 9 to help deal with the coronavirus crisis.  The money comes from the recently passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which directs the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).  The funds target operating...

SACRAMENTO—Gob. Gavin Newsom ordenó el Lunes un cierre estatal de los servicios interiores en restaurantes, teatros, bodegas, museos, zoológicos, salas de juegos y centros de entretenimiento familiar. Newsom tambien dijo que las cantinas deben cesar todas las operaciones. Además, 30 condados en la Lista de...

SACRAMENTO—Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered a statewide closure to indoor services in restaurants, theaters, wineries, museums, zoos, card rooms and family entertainment centers. Bars must cease all operations.  In addition, 30 counties on California’s county watchlist must also shutter their churches, gyms, malls, hair...