Santa Cruz County Archives

$20,000 reward being offered for suspect involved in deadly hit-and-run

November 19, 2023 11:22 AM Derrick Ow

CAPITOLA, Calif. (KION-TV) — Capitola Police said that there is a $20,000 reward being offered to find a suspect who was allegedly involved in a…

Suspect and victim identified in fight in Santa Cruz

November 18, 2023 1:44 PM Katie Nicora, Derrick Ow

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION)- Santa Cruz Police have identified the suspect and victim who were involved in a fight between two friends on Nov. 17.…

Pajaro Valley Flood Risk Management Project agreement signed

November 21, 2023 4:05 PM Derrick Ow

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV)- State and local leaders gathered at Watsonville City Hall to sign an agreement of the Pajaro River Risk Management…

Adopt-a-Family program returns to Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County organization

November 17, 2023 4:05 PM Victor Guzman

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) — The Adopt-a-Family program in Santa Cruz County has launched and according to organizers is seeing more people…

People in Santa Cruz County preparing for weather-related issues

November 17, 2023 11:33 AM Nataly Gutierrez

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) — Multiple agencies on the Central Coast and people are preparing for weather-related issues to impact some…

Watsonville Holiday tree lighting event canceled due to potential for rain

November 17, 2023 1:04 PM Victor Guzman

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV) — The City of Watsonville announced its Holiday Lights in the Plaza tree lighting event has been canceled. The city…

Five-year-old boy dies after being stabbed by his twin brother, no criminal charges will be filed

November 16, 2023 12:45 PM Derrick Ow

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. (KION-TV)- The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said that a five-year-old boy has died after he was allegedly stabbed by his…

San Lorenzo Valley Water District replacing surface water pipeline destroyed by CZU Fires

November 16, 2023 10:58 AM Dania Romero

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)- On Thursday morning, The San Lorenzo Valley Water District announced that they will be replacing the Peavine raw…

Watsonville Police identifies mother-daughter duo who reportedly stole over $100,000 from a jewelry store

November 16, 2023 12:27 PM Derrick Ow

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV)- On Thursday morning, Watsonville Police identified two woman who allegedly robbed $100,000 from a jewelry store in…

Big Basin Redwoods State Park closed on Wednesday due to heavy winds

November 15, 2023 11:53 AM Derrick Ow

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)- The California State Parks announced that Big Basin Redwoods State Park will be closed on Wednesday due to…

Watsonville City Council pause virtual public comments from meeting due to hate speech

November 14, 2023 10:33 AM Derrick Ow

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV)- On Monday afternoon, the Watsonville City Council announced that they will be discontinuing public comment via Zoom…

License plate readers help Watsonville Police track down stolen vehicle

November 14, 2023 10:47 AM Ricardo Tovar

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV)- On Thursday, Watsonville Police successfully located a vehicle with the help of their newly installed Flock Safety…

Rountree Detention Center inmates graduate from Building Trades Pre-Apprenticeship Program

November 13, 2023 1:06 PM Victor Guzman

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV) — The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said two inmates graduated from the Building Trades Pre-Apprenticeship Program…

Boulder Creek area prepares for more outages as rain approaches Central Coast

November 13, 2023 11:56 AM Dania Romero

BOULDER CREEK, Calif. (KION-TV) — Santa Cruz County is getting ready for rain in an area that has already seen its fair share of outages in recent…

62-year-old Los Gatos man dead in vehicle vs motorcycle crash on Highway 1 at Dimeo Lane

November 12, 2023 11:47 AM Derrick Ow

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)- The California Highway Patrol confirmed that a 62-year-old man from Los Gatos has died after being involved in a…

Prescribed burn scheduled in San Vicente Redwoods

November 10, 2023 10:59 AM Victor Guzman

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) — CAL FIRE CZU announced a prescribed burn is scheduled in the San Vicente Redwoods area on Sunday. The burn is…

Families continue to remember loved ones at Peace and Unity March in Watsonville

November 12, 2023 6:29 PM Derrick Ow

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV)- The 30th Watsonville Peace and Unity March took place on Sunday afternoon at Romo Park. The community event which…

Santa Cruz County Public Works Department addressing storm repairs

November 9, 2023 5:39 PM Nataly Gutierrez

SOQUEL, Calif. (KION-TV): Santa Cruz County Public Works have been working to repair the damages on the roadways that were caused from the winter…

Watsonville police dog returns home and expected to be okay after being stabbed in pursuit

November 7, 2023 7:55 PM Victor Guzman, Derrick Ow

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV)- UPDATE ON NOV. 9, 2023 AT 5:10 PM- Watsonville Police said that their police dog Cruze is expected to make a full…

Highway 9 at Spring Creek down to one lane after semi-truck crashes into guardrail

November 9, 2023 5:04 PM Derrick Ow

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)- The California Highway Patrol is advising drivers to avoid Highway 9 at Spring Creek after a truck crashed into…

UC Santa Cruz students protesting on Bay Street and blocking traffic

November 9, 2023 1:04 PM Derrick Ow

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV)- Santa Cruz Police said that UC Santa Cruz students are currently protesting at Bay Street and High Street and are…

Watsonville spinach farm owner charged with involuntary manslaughter in worker’s death

November 8, 2023 1:49 PM Ricardo Tovar

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)- The owner of a Watsonville-based spinach farming company has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after a…

PG&E says recent Santa Cruz County power outages partially due to pre-winter maintenance

November 7, 2023 10:53 AM Ricardo Tovar

SANTA CRUZ, COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)- PG&E says that power was restored to customers near the San Lorenzo Valley area that impacted as many…

Monarch butterflies are clustering along coastal California. Here’s where to find them

November 8, 2023 12:47 PM FOX 35

By Sara Sedillo They are back! The ever-so-mysterious invertebrates that cluster in masses, revealing a brilliant burst of orange and black. The…

Santa Cruz County joining Operation Green Light, will illuminate county building

November 8, 2023 9:06 AM Karl Cooke

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CALIF. (KION-TV)- Santa Cruz County will be joining other counties across the country in U.S. for Operation Green Light by…

Watsonville Police serve search warrant for an active case

November 7, 2023 3:25 PM Ricardo Tovar

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV)- Watsonville Police were on a property near Gonda Street and San Juan serving a search warrant. SWAT and a bearcat were…

Prescribed burn at Wilder Ranch State Park scheduled to take place on Wednesday

November 7, 2023 12:28 PM Derrick Ow

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)- California State Parks announced that more prescribed burns will be taking place at Wilder Ranch State Park…

Captain found guilty of ‘seaman’s manslaughter’ in boat fire that killed 34 off California coast

November 6, 2023 5:11 PM Associated Press

By STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A scuba dive boat captain was convicted Monday of criminal negligence in the deaths of 34…

Pajaro Valley Unified School District hosting community meetings on superintendent search

November 5, 2023 6:16 PM Derrick Ow

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV)- The Pajaro Valley Unified School District is asking for community input as they continue looking for a permanent…

After losing home to CZU Fire, family has to rebuild again after losing relocation home to fire

October 29, 2023 3:25 PM Derrick Ow, Ricardo Tovar

BOULDER CREEK, Calif. (KION-TV) UPDATE ON NOV 2, 2023 AT 3:50 PM- A family has to restart their life yet again after losing their Boulder Creek home…

UC Santa Cruz region to receive $18.1 million for education to career pipelines

November 2, 2023 2:46 PM Ricardo Tovar

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV)- Governor Gavin Newsom announced that four California regions were selected to receive a part of $72.5 million to create…

Monterey fisherman concerned over livelihood after Dungeness crab season delayed again

October 28, 2023 4:29 PM Ricardo Tovar, Nataly Gutierrez

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV)- The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Friday that Dungeness crab season has been temporarily paused…

Scotts Valley boy dresses up as Safeway employee for Halloween

October 31, 2023 3:33 PM Ricardo Tovar

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. (KION-TV)- Occupational costumes are nothing out of the ordinary for children on Halloween whether it’s nurses, army people, or…

Santa Cruz County gets help strengthening Medi-Cal to make health care more affordable

October 31, 2023 5:03 PM Ricardo Tovar

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)- Governor Newsom announced that the California Department of Health Care Services is investing $144 million in…

Santa Cruz Police working to keep community safe during Halloween festivities

October 31, 2023 10:21 AM Ana Torrea

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV)- Halloween festivities are getting underway. Downtown Santa Cruz is expected to see a lot of foot traffic. On Tuesday…

Illegal fireworks, cocaine and firearms recovered from an Aptos home

October 31, 2023 1:08 PM Ricardo Tovar

APTOS, Calif. (KION-TV)- The Santa Cruz County Anti-Crime Team said they confiscated several firearms, illegal drugs, and firearms during a search…

Nearly $3 million given to help keep Central Coast transit clean

October 28, 2023 3:37 PM Ricardo Tovar

CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KON-TV)- Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Friday that he approved $192 million in funds for 136 transportation projects to…

Surfboard stealing outlaw Otter 841 is in fact a mother, USFWS confirms

September 8, 2023 6:05 PM Dania Romero, Ana Torrea

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) – It is official! Everyone’s favorite surfboard pirate has given birth to a pup, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service…

Increased weekend fire risk puts some people in the Santa Cruz Mountains on edge

October 27, 2023 11:10 AM Ana Torrea

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. (KION-TV)- Some concerns in the Santa Cruz Mountains because of that red flag warning lasting through the weekend. A breeze…

PVUSD Migrant & Seasonal Head Start program helping farm working families with child development

October 27, 2023 10:36 AM Nataly Gutierrez

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV): The Migrant & Seasonal Head Start program at Pajaro Valley Unified School District has helped agriculture families…

Santa Cruz approves downtown development plans

October 26, 2023 10:39 AM Nataly Gutierrez

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV): More housing units and a hotel in downtown Santa Cruz may soon be…

Capitola receives state funding for Community Center renovation project

October 25, 2023 1:45 PM Derrick Ow

CAPITOLA, Calif. (KION-TV)- The City of Capitola received $1 million in state funding to help fund in the Community Center renovation project.…

Watsonville City Council recognizes South County Triage group for helping people in times of need

October 25, 2023 6:15 PM Dania Romero

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV)- From COVID-19 pandemic to the devastating winter storms, The City of Watsonville formally recognized a community…

Fatal crash north of Soquel kills one

October 25, 2023 7:11 AM Mickey Adams, Karl Cooke

UPDATE: October 25th, 8:07 AM- More information has come out on the fatal crash that killed one person north of Soquel. According to CHP Santa Cruz,…

Families of 34 killed in Conception dive boat disaster sue Coast Guard

September 2, 2021 2:19 PM Associated Press

Family members of the 34 people who died in the Conception dive boat fire off the coast of Santa Cruz Island have filed a lawsuit against the U.S.…

Man arrested in Scotts Valley for possession of drugs and a ghost gun

October 24, 2023 5:46 PM Derrick Ow

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. (KION-TV)- The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office have arrested a 38-year-old man who was found to have a ghost gun and four…

Deputies searching for missing at-risk teen last seen in Watsonville

October 24, 2023 5:26 PM Ricardo Tovar

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)- The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office says they are searching for a missing at-risk teen last seen in…

Four years after fire engulfed California scuba dive boat killing 34 people, captain’s trial begins

October 24, 2023 12:01 AM Associated Press

By STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — By the time the scuba dive boat sank off the Southern California coast after catching fire,…

Capitola Bank robbery suspect arrested near Half Moon Bay

October 23, 2023 7:03 PM Victor Guzman

CAPITOLA, Calif. (KION-TV) — A woman is in jail in connection to a bank robbery at the Comerica Bank in Capitola. Capitola Police said the woman is…

Modesto woman arrested on suspicion of DUI after driving wrong way on Rio Del Mar Blvd off-ramp

October 22, 2023 6:11 PM Derrick Ow

APTOS, Calif. (KION-TV)- The California Highway Patrol have arrested a 35-year-old Modesto woman who was driving the wrong way while intoxicated on…