Happy weekend time, Santa Cruzans! We head into it with some solid negative COVID trajectory given declining positivity rates both locally and statewide. Gov. Gavin Newsom even provided some hope for parents, kids and coaches trying to eke out some semblance of a brief high school sports season. More on what sports are affected in […]
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 inHealth & Wellness
Will new California high school sports guidelines sack or save football in Santa Cruz County?
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s changes Friday enable “moderate contact” sports — baseball, softball and lacrosse — to be cleared for seasons without COVID-19 testing. But “high contact” outdoor sports — including football, boys and girls soccer, and water polo — will be subject to once-a-week testing requirements, posing logistical problems for some schools.
Posted inCOVID 2022
COVID PM: Stimulus impact, teacher vaccination update, high school sports returns
Hey, everyone, it’s almost Friday and there is no shortage of good COVID-related coverage for you tonight, so let’s get right to the highlights: ➤ We got the question numerous times over the past 24 hours: Am I eligible for the $600 stimulus money? We, along with our LA Times partners, hope to provide answers […]
Posted inHealth & Wellness
High school runners get out of pandemic block; could football get Hail Mary pass from Gov. Newsom?
PREP SPORTS’ RETURN: The games finally have begun going on — but for now, just a few. Whether contact sports like football, wrestling, water polo and basketball happen will depend on just how quickly the virus decrease continues or whether there is a revision from the state.
Posted inCOVID 2022
COVID PM: Harkening back to pre-Thanksgiving, odd Ash Wednesday, wither Cinema 9
Hey, everyone: We’re here to report that nothing is jarring us from the positive recovery trajectory we’ve been on — and that is excellent non-news indeed. In fact, as our content partner the LA Times details, the case numbers in California have put us back to a level not seen since before Thanksgiving. “We are […]
Posted inCOVID 2022
COVID PM: Could we be seeing red soon? Plus some vaccine perspective
Hey, everyone, Happy Short Work Week Tuesday. Despite the sluggishness that comes from such back-to-work days, there were a few juicy virus tidbits to emerge: ➤ Our county’s COVID trend line continues unabated in a positive direction, and the very real possibility of a return to the red tier remains on course.➤ As the vaccine […]
Posted inCOVID 2022
COVID PM: Vaccine delivery clears the path for in-person school possibilities countywide
Hello everyone, it’s holiday weekend time for many folks and that’s a very good reason to be reminded about where these holiday events have gotten us recently. We’re on a really good trajectory, and now is not the time to mess it up, y’know? I’ll get off my soap box, but still point you to […]
Posted inCOVID 2022
COVID PM: ‘Mass confusion and panic,’ plus March surge update
Hey, it’s Mark and we’re headed into a holiday weekend Friday. But first, some vaccine shenanigans. Apparently a sign-up link for the county-run Fairgrounds clinic held Wednesday — intended for county residents 65-plus and particularly those from the Pajaro Valley — had people from all over the state signing up. The other big news out […]
Posted inCOVID 2022
COVID PM: ‘V’ is for variant, now what does that mean for us here in Santa Cruz?
Hi, folks: We’re over the Wednesday hump, and it was day for wrapping our heads around the “V” word — and unfortunately we don’t mean those upcoming Valentine’s Day plans. The news from Gov. Gavin Newsom that the South African variant had touched down not just in California, but right over the hill from us […]
Posted inLatest News
No signs of ‘impairment or negligence’ by driver who fatally struck pedestrian, dog in Santa Cruz, police say
The fatal encounter between the semi truck driver and 61-year-old Kristi Ewings happened at the intersection of River and Water streets next to the Bank of America building.