Earlier this year something happened at Santa Cruz County's planning department that hasn't happened in modern history. Virtually all the executive staff retired, including former planning chief Tom Burns. The void was huge and the chance to recreate the county's most contentious department was great. While Burns had been credited for streamlining some of the department's bureaucracy during his nearly decade-long tenure, he never got the accolades he collected in...

The Central Fire Board of Directors decided in July to increase the retirement age for new firefighters and change the time period for pension salary calculations for all new employees...

California has drafted another list of low-performing schools throughout the state and six Santa Cruz County schools landed on it. What does it mean? The short answer: Not much or at...

A missing Live Oak man has returned home safely. William Donald Moritz, 73, had been missing frm his home since July 22, but has returned. Investigators notified the community...