More than a year after settling into life in Santa Cruz, Ukrainian painter Natalia Aandewiel, 27, has successfully integrated herself into the olodex of local artists. Aandewiel travels all over the county attempting to capture the region’s beauty in her art. She has battled cancer and worked to bring her family to the U.S. after they fled to Poland for safety.
San Lorenzo Valley
Posted inLatest News
Carmageddon: Reimagine Metro Phase 2 comes with extended routes, more buses, and more drivers
Santa Cruz Metro is already working towards implementing Phase 2 of its Reimagine Metro initiative to upgrade the county’s transit system into a much more efficient, convenient service. In order to do that, the agency will incrementally add more buses to its fleet and hire 70 more drivers.
Posted inLatest News
Carmageddon: Watsonville Transit Center, Highway 9, and this week’s delays
Last week, Santa Cruz Metro received another round of funding, this time for its South County project aiming to revamp the Watsonville Transit Center, and build 65 units of affordable housing above it. Up in the mountains, Highway 9 repairs continue nearly a year after the storms at the beginning of 2023.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Alba Schoolhouse: Money comes and money goes, but some things only go. Because of money.
Ben Lomond’s historic and beloved Little Red Alba Schoolhouse was lost in the CZU fire of 2020 and was supposed to have been rebuilt. Now it appears it won’t be. Daniel DeLong considers the implications of legacy being sacrificed for money, and makes a humble request.
Posted inBusiness & Technology, Capitola & Soquel, Latest News, San Lorenzo Valley, Scotts Valley
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Capitola’s King’s Plaza, cannabis burglaries, math business for sale
In her weekly roundup of news and notes from the Santa Cruz County business community, Jessica M. Pasko digs into where pharmacy closures across the county fit into the industry’s challenges nationwide, a slowdown in fall tourism, and the latest businesses opening and closing across the community.
Posted inFood & Drink
Humble Sea seeks tenant for tavern space in Felton
Santa Cruz-based Humble Sea Brewing Co. is looking for a tenant for the restaurant space in Felton that recently housed its restaurant, Humble Sea Tavern. The tavern closed in August, leaving a hole in the otherwise flourishing Santa Cruz Mountains community.
Posted inPolitics & Policy, San Lorenzo Valley
Rain-rich, faucet-famine: The irony of Boulder Creek’s ongoing water woes
After a year of heavy rainfall, Boulder Creek faces a paradoxical water crisis. Despite abundant natural resources, private utility Big Basin Water Company is grappling with infrastructure failures traced back to the 2020 CZU fire, leaving faucets dry and costing some residents thousands of dollars.
Posted inRecreation & Sports, San Lorenzo Valley
Controversial pump track proposal divides Felton residents
A plan by the Santa Cruz County Parks Department to replace the dilapidated volleyball court at Felton Covered Bridge Park with a 10,000-square-foot mountain bike training ground, known as a pump track, has driven a wedge between residents. Some feel the county — citing budget and staffing issues — has handed over too much control of the project to a private group.
Posted inPolitics & Policy, San Lorenzo Valley
Devastated by storms and denied by insurance, Lompico residents navigate uncertain recovery
Just days after a first New Year’s Eve storm rendered Lompico resident Benjamin Short’s home uninhabitable, his insurance claim was denied, leaving him on the hook for potentially $250,000 in repairs. It’s a situation that policyholder advocates say is increasingly common as California homeowners contend with more frequent natural disasters.
Posted inGuides
Will pickleball take over the planet? We investigate this ‘fastest-growing sport’; laughter, trash talk ensue
Everyone seems to be talking about this little brother of tennis, cousin of pingpong and distant relative of badminton, squash and something in the U.K. called padel (Google it). Like you, perhaps, we wondered what the big deal was. So we decided to do the heavy investigative journalism for you. Spoiler alert: Pickleball is easy and addictive. If you try it, you will like it and you will want more. Here’s a guide to discovering your inner pickleballer right here in beautiful, pickleball-weather-friendly Santa Cruz County.