Mark Conley

Follow Mark Conley on: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. Mark joins Lookout after 14 years at the Mercury News and Bay Area News Group, where he served as Deputy Sports Editor on a staff that covered three World Series, three Super Bowls, five NBA Finals, a Stanley Cup Final, six Olympic Games and three U.S. Opens over that span. He led enterprise coverage and special projects, and guided the Merc’s premium NFL and MLB magazines to five straight years of top APSE honors.Mark chaired a digital innovation committee and partook in the Table Stakes program that led to the newsroom’s establishment of a digital subscription team and a product development approach to coverage. He helped build brands around Pac-12 and high schools coverage via robust newsletters, social engagement, promotional deals and targeted audience content. Both coverage areas became top digital subscription drivers in the sports department — and the newsroom as a whole.Mark has lived in Santa Cruz County — Westside, Eastside, Midtown and now Capitola — for more than 20 years and has a passion for seeing journalism restored in the place he lives and loves.“This county is such a special place, and it’s as much about the people who choose to live here as the magical geography,” he says. “I’m looking forward to helping tell the stories of Santa Cruz County.”
Posted inK-12 Education

Lookout Exclusive: Sheriff confirms previous incident involving murder suspect in Aptos High stabbing

by Hanna Merzbach and Mark Conley

A previous incident involving one of the suspects in the Aptos High murder case has been confirmed by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office. The Pajaro Valley Unified School District has not disclosed any information about that incident to the public — nor did it to the sheriff’s office prior to the killing of a 17-year-old student on Aug. 31.

Posted inPolitics & Policy

A test of ‘Bonny Doon Strong’: Why a ‘sexually violent predator’ should not be this community’s next battle

by Mark Conley

As 30% of its population continues to either rebuild, mitigate damage or choose where else to go next, the state of California, via a private company called Liberty Healthcare, has dropped another bomb on the community of Bonny Doon. A Santa Cruz judge can bring sanity to the situation Tuesday, but the recommended placement illustrates that this is a system in need of overhaul.

Posted inLatest News

‘CZU, One Year Later’: The only recovery consistency lies in a community’s selfless nature

by Mark Conley

Monday marks one year since the day thousands of lives changed forever in Santa Cruz County — the day the magnificent lightning storm that lit up the heavens became the catalyst for 37 straight days of hell. While the financial and volunteer help has been steady, consistent, and even competitive, the need for real recovery remains constant for many.

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