In an era of fierce polarization, Judge Roger T. Benitez seems a perfect fit, an object of rage and adoration. His likeness as “St. Benitez” — with robes and a halo, sometimes holding an AR-15 or a box of bullets — is plastered on T-shirts, prayer candles and even gun magazines.
Posted inEnvironment
The scary new climate report means fossil fuel use needs to start falling, fast
There’s a giant gap between what many companies have pledged and what’s actually needed.
Posted inCOVID 2022
California lawmakers and teachers unions stop short of a vaccine mandate
Even as the delta variant causes spikes in COVID-19 case numbers just weeks before the new school year, state lawmakers have yet to issue a vaccine mandate for public school teachers.
Posted inEnvironment
Exploding California wildfires rekindle debate: Snuff out blazes in wilderness areas or let them burn?
A U.S. Forest Service directive to put out fires in remote, roadless California forests has angered foresters and firefighters, who say doing so will put lives at risk and fuel worse fires in the future.
Posted inLatest News
After getting ‘spooked’ by stranger, woman drives off cliff near Lighthouse Point
A woman accidentally launched her sedan over a 30-foot cliff on West Cliff Drive but survived after her car landed on a ledge.
Posted inLatest News
Morning Lookout: Dixie fire blazes as new UN report declares ‘code red,’ saying goodbye to Fred Reiss
Since May 21, the Midtown Fridays Block Party has brought fresh life into the parking lot located at 1111 Soquel Ave.,…
Posted inHousing & Development
YIMBYism & Santa Cruz: Those behind affordability movement will show what they mean by ‘missing middle’
What is a YIMBY? What do these “missing middle” edifices look like? How might new versions of them fit into the local housing situation? And what are the legal challenges facing their development? Lookout takes a look in advance of Wednesday downtown tour.
Posted inK-12 Education
Delta variant is sucking the joy out of back-to-school 2021
Instead of a back-to-normal back-to-school, the coronavirus casts new shadows over the return to full-time, in-person schooling. A particularly troubling issue for parents in Santa Cruz County and beyond is that children under 12 are not yet eligible for a vaccine.
Posted inEnvironment
Ways to save water during the drought — and whether it’s worth doing at all
Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking Californians to cut personal water usage by 15% some six years after Gov. Jerry Brown asked for a 25% reduction. Here are tips for how to do that — and facts about what difference they can make.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Dust to dust: Will California lawmakers legalize human composting — transforming bodies into soil?
California lawmakers are considering a bill to add an after-death option beyond burial or cremation. It has received bipartisan support, but there are religious concerns.