Residents across the county reported hearing something akin to a sonic boom Thursday night. Lookout reached out to national experts to figure out what happened.
Mallory Pickett
Follow Mallory Pickett on: Twitter. Mallory brings deep expertise in environmental issues to Lookout, as well as national reporting experience that she will now apply in her hometown of Santa Cruz. She began her career as a chemist, studying ocean acidification at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, before being drawn to journalism.As a freelance journalist she’s written about science, the environment, and politics for a variety of publications including The New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, Wired, and Slate. Her work has been included in several anthologies, including “What Future,” in 2017, and “The Craft of Science Writing,” in 2020. Her investigation into gender discrimination at a research institute in San Diego was included as a notable work in the “Best Science and Nature Writing of 2019.”“I care passionately about the well-being of the people and the environment of Santa Cruz County,” she says. “I can think of no better way to contribute to my hometown than to provide rigorous coverage of the parks, ocean, and farmlands that make this place so special.”
Posted inCOVID 2022
Santa Cruz COVID updates: Amid ‘hopeful’ signs, county officials hammer vaccination message
Santa Cruz County health officials gave a positive pandemic update Thursday — “I’m feeling very hopeful,” Dr. Gail Newel said — but warned that risks remain serious for the unvaccinated.
Posted inEnvironment
Drought explainer: Why isn’t Santa Cruz included in the state’s newly released emergency plan?
Santa Cruz County is in “extreme” drought, yet the county wasn’t included in the Governor’s drought emergency declaration. Why not?
Posted inLatest News
UC data breach results in exposure of personal information
Data possibly including Social Security numbers and financial information belonging to University of California students, staff and retirees has been posted on the internet after a December security breach that targeted the UC system’s file transfer appliance, the UC president wrote in an update Wednesday.
Posted inCOVID 2022
The yellow for real this time? With case counts down, Santa Cruz County in line to make move next week
Will Santa Cruz County make it into the yellow tier this time? We will find in one week’s time whether case counts, and other criteria, will remain at a level that meets standards to leave the orange.
Posted inEnvironment
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is now open: How to schedule, and what to expect from, a visit
The Monterey Bay Aquarium has reopened, and visits there are almost back to normal, with a few key differences. The Seymour Marine Discovery Center also is beginning to resume operations but in a more limited way.
Posted inEnvironment
Santa Cruz explores new bike share program, with plans for countywide coverage
Last year, Santa Cruz’s popular electric JUMP bikes disappeared? But a new bike share program could be in Santa Cruz by early 2022 — and its reach could go well beyond the city limits.
Posted inEnvironment
Santa Cruz drought intensifies from ‘severe’ to ‘extreme’
The drought in Santa Cruz has quickly advanced, moving from the least severe classification, D0, to D3 in just the last three months.
Posted inCOVID 2022
Masks no longer required in most outdoor situations throughout Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County announced new mask guidelines for vaccinated and unvaccinated people on Tuesday morning.
Posted inCOVID 2022
The elusive yellow: Slight increase in case counts again keeps Santa Cruz in orange tier
The increase in infections in Santa Cruz County is small and “expected.” It is largely due to transmission of COVID-19 among youth sports teams, and some cases in schools, according to deputy health officer Dr. David Ghilarducci.