Scotts Valley High’s girls lacrosse team, the runner-up in the Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division, received the No. 3 seed for the Central Coast Section Division II playoffs. The Falcons (11-2) face No. 6 Burlingame (8-7) at Harbor High in the quarterfinals on Saturday at 1 p.m. In other quarterfinals on Saturday, No. 1 Gunn (14-3) hosts No. 8 Castilleja (16-3) at noon, No. 2 Woodside (12-3) hosts No. 7 Live Oak (14-1) at 1 p.m., and No. 4 Los Altos (9-6) hosts No. 5 Sequoia (11-5) at noon. The semifinals take place Thursday, and the championship will be held at Carlmont High in Be ..read more

WATSONVILLE — St. Francis High’s streaking baseball team made it look easy again Wednesday. The Sharks are hoping, and expecting, to enjoy continued success in the upcoming Central Coast Section playoffs. The Sharks continued to display the basic tenets for success and secured their 14th straight win on senior day. They pitched, played solid defense, and produced timely hits to pull off an 11-1, walk-off win over visiting Monterey in the teams’ Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division finale. The game was called in the sixth inning on the mercy rule after Trey Silva smacked a bases-loade ..read more

SANTA CRUZ — After forming just more than a week ago, The Palestine solidarity encampment in Quarry Plaza on the campus of UC Santa Cruz has steadily grown, with tents popping up around and above the camp’s original perimeter every day. “We’ve had to expand into the upper balcony and it’s amazing to see how much the encampment has grown since the first day when we set up just a few tents,” said encampment media liaison and UCSC student Max Sárosi. “And personally, it’s amazing to see how the camp has been able to sustain itself, providing three meals a day, educational programming all day and ..read more

Mothers and their newborns and older children exult during a moment of play at Watsonville Community Hospital’s Baby Talk support group for new moms and their families. The program is part of the hospital’s wrap-around services that now include Nourish, the first food pantry located inside a hospital in California. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel ..read more

FREEDOM — A 66-year-old Watsonville man was receiving medical care for major injuries after being struck by a car while walking early Wednesday on Airport Boulevard. The California Highway Patrol was called to a crash in the area outside Watsonville of Airport Boulevard east of Pajaro Lane shortly before 5 a.m. A 72-year-old Aptos man driving a Tesla Model Y east on Airport Boulevard reportedly struck a pedestrian traveling eastbound on the road. CHP officers continued investigating the cause of the crash Wednesday afternoon, but had made no arrests in the case. The pedestrian was transported ..read more

WATSONVILLE — The Watsonville Planning Commission adopted a resolution approving a special use permit to establish a pair of alcohol licenses for a new supermarket and taproom in the old Kmart building at Tuesday’s meeting. The former Kmart on Freedom Boulevard, which has been vacant since 2021, is slated to become home to Vallarta Supermarket, a Los Angeles-based grocery chain emphasizing Hispanic groceries that has locations throughout Southern California and has been moving north in recent years. As has become common with newer locations, the Watsonville site will include a Sayulita Tap Roo ..read more

The Cincinnati Reds traded left-handed pitcher Tyler Gilbert to Philadelphia Phillies for cash on Tuesday. With the deal, the 30-year-old, Santa Cruz resident returns to the organization that drafted him in the sixth round of the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of USC. Gilbert, a San Lorenzo Valley High alum, has been assigned to the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The former major leaguer pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2021-23. He made MLB history on Aug. 14, 2021, when he became the fourth pitcher in baseball history to throw a no-hitter in his first big league sta ..read more

The No. 1 seed Santa Cruz High boys volleyball team swept visiting No. 8 Lynbrook of San Jose, 25-17, 25-15, 25-20, in the the Central Coast Section Open Division quarterfinals on Tuesday. Julien Pally had 16 kills on 29 attempts, and three blocks to lead the Cardinals (37-1 overall), the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League regular season and tournament champion. Tim Pohlman had nine kills on 20 attempts, and one block. Gammon Nilssen had eight kills on 11 attempts, two aces, and two blocks. Leo Sapunor had two kills, two blocks, and James Bush had two kills. Maverick Manor had 37 assists and two ..read more

WATSONVILLE — One of Watsonville’s oldest parks as well as its largest is heading for a redesign, and the city will be commemorating with a groundbreaking ceremony Friday. Since 2019, plans have been underway to upgrade some amenities at Ramsay Park, located between Main Street and Harkins Slough Road. That year, the council approved design recommendations in the city’s draft Park Master Plan, followed by the adoption of the Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan a year later, which included a new master plan for Ramsay Park. Today, Ramsay Park features a basketball court, hiking trails, skate pa ..read more

SANTA CRUZ — Just days before jury selection began in his criminal trial, a 41-year-old Watsonville man charged with murdering his sleeping older brother in 2021 pleaded no contest to charges this week. Seledonio Diaz faces a prison term of 30 years to life at his July 26 sentencing hearing related to charges of second-degree murder and a prior criminal strike. Per a plea deal with the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office codified Monday afternoon, several additional criminal enhancements will be dismissed at sentencing. Diaz’s charges related to the death of Francisco Diaz, 52, w ..read more