A new arcade in Scotts Valley is giving kids, parents and pinball enthusiasts a place to gather. Coin Drop Arcade, opened by former software engineers Kacey and John Lewis, features vintage and modern pinball machines, arcade games and plans for kids’ parties and leagues.
Alia Yee Noll
Alia Yee Noll joins Lookout Santa Cruz as the California Local News Fellow to cover arts, entertainment and culture. Alia recently graduated from the University of Southern California, where she studied journalism and minored in documentary film and gender studies. She's interested in reporting on the intersections of art, accessibility and diversity.
She has interned at the Los Angeles Times, Ms. Magazine and Getty Publications, and she edited the arts and features sections for her college paper, the Daily Trojan.
Alia grew up in Fullerton and is excited to continue living and writing in the best state there is. She's looking forward to exploring Santa Cruz County's restaurants and live music scene, frequenting the public library, and discovering the best hikes and tea lattes.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘The community’s living room’: Bookshop Santa Cruz celebrates 60 years of endurance
Bookshop Santa Cruz has been a fixture of the downtown area for six decades, weathering upheaval in the form of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the rise of chain bookstores at the turn of the 21st century and the COVID-19 pandemic. Store owner Casey Coonerty Protti said they owe everything to the people of Santa Cruz.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz County voters weigh taxes, housing and political change on Election Day
Residents took to polling places around Santa Cruz County on Election Day to make their voices heard on races and ballot measures at the local, state and national levels.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Santa Cruz skateboarding pioneer Judi Oyama aims for second Guinness World Record with San Jose museum exhibit
“Judi Oyama: To Be Seen / Not Heard” focuses on the lifelong Santa Cruzan’s passion for skateboarding, graphic design and art, along with the family history that shaped her. The exhibit will be on display at the Japanese American Museum of San Jose starting Saturday.
Posted inLatest News
‘An inspiration to many’: Dolores Huerta’s legacy lives on in Santa Cruz County activists she inspired
Dolores Huerta, the pioneering labor leader and co-founder of United Farm Workers, inspired generations of activists across Santa Cruz County. Local leaders from Watsonville to Santa Cruz remember her as a champion for farmworkers, women’s rights and community activism.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Scenes from Midnight Maas: Bookshop Santa Cruz holds first midnight release party in 10 years
About 300 fans packed into Bookshop Santa Cruz on Monday night for a sold-out midnight release party for Sarah J. Maas’ latest book, “A Court of Splintered Harmony.” There were tattoos, tarot readings and a DJ, and plenty of people showed up in costume.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Watsonville native’s journey from farmworker family to tech career is focus of new documentary
In “Las Mismas Manos,” co-directed by Consuelo Alba-Speyer, Watsonville native Martín Vargas-Vega goes from picking strawberries with his farmworker parents to working as a software engineer. The documentary looks at the money and isolation problems he faced in Silicon Valley, and at the community that backed him along the way.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
El camino de un oriundo de Watsonville: de una familia de trabajadores agrícolas a una carrera en tecnología, tema de un nuevo documental
En “Las Mismas Manos,” codirigido por Consuelo Alba-Speyer, el oriundo de Watsonville Martín Vargas-Vega pasa de recoger fresas junto a sus padres, trabajadores agrícolas, a trabajar como ingeniero de software. El documental aborda las dificultades económicas y el aislamiento que enfrentó en Silicon Valley, así como la comunidad que lo apoyó a lo largo del camino.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
He helped mix Taylor Swift’s ‘Red.’ Now this Grammy-nominated sound engineer calls Aptos home
Mixing engineer Math Bishop worked on Taylor Swift’s Grammy-nominated album “Red” and has credits with bands like The Killers and Modest Mouse. After more than a decade in Los Angeles, he moved to Aptos for a slower pace, and he’s hoping to get plugged into the local music scene around Santa Cruz County.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Santa Cruz taxidermy lecture explores how preserving animals can inspire conservation
After nearly 20 years in taxidermy, Allis Markham says the point isn’t realism. It’s connection. The Los Angeles-based master taxidermist will talk Thursday at The 418 Project in Santa Cruz about how salvaged animals in museums and nature centers get people to care about wildlife and the threats it faces.
