Santa Cruz has an exciting opportunity to create a riparian forest downtown in San Lorenzo Park, says local environmental activist Barbara Riverwoman. The park, in the area known as the Benchlands, could be a local treasure and “an ecological jewel of our downtown,” she writes. City staff, however, advocate cutting the park into three, using the middle for pop-up sports and events and using the edges for the forest. “I don’t think it takes too much imagination to understand why pounding music, flying frisbees and active sports events would defeat the very reason for the forest’s existence, for both wildlife and human beings,” she says. A Parks & Recreation Commission meeting is set for Monday. The commissioners’ recommendation then goes to the city council.
Westside / Downtown
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Whether it’s improv or writing, Clifford Henderson is steeped in storytelling
Santa Cruz-based Clifford Mae Henderson is poised to release her sixth novel, “Bait and Witch,” with a reading and book signing at Bookshop Santa Cruz on Jan. 18. But many locals might be surprised to learn that Henderson has ever written fiction at all. That’s because she’s best known for performing and teaching improv comedy with the Fun Institute.
Posted inFood & Drink
Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing sold to owners of Sante Adairius, Private Press
Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing owners Emily Thomas and Chad Brill have sold the 18-year-old Westside brewery to Adair Paterno, owner of Capitola-based Sante Adairius Rustic Ales, and Brad Clark, owner of Private Press Brewing in Santa Cruz. The acquisition marks the end of an era in the local craft beer community, which Thomas and Brill helped build over the past two decades.
Posted inLatest News
Otter 841 and her pup start 2024 the way they ended 2023 — roaming free in Monterey Bay
Otter 841 and her pup are still in Monterey Bay waters and will remain there for the foreseeable future, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has no plans to restart its efforts to capture the feisty marine mammal.
Posted inEducation
Santa Cruz County public schools projected to have steepest enrollment decline in California
Santa Cruz County’s public schools are set to see enrollment drop by more than 21% over the next decade, the steepest decline of any county in California, according to recent figures from the state. The dramatic projections are escalating concerns among education leaders across the county. Officials from at least one local district say they may have to start discussing whether or not to close schools.
Posted inEducation
Driver in UC Santa Cruz bus crash dies
Dan Stevenson, the bus driver who was behind the wheel of a bus that crashed on UCSC’s campus on Dec. 12, has died from his injuries. The school’s investigation into the cause of the accident is still ongoing.
Posted inLatest News
Evacuation warnings, power outages as Santa Cruz County braces for more rain, wind and swells
The next round of rain is set to begin Friday afternoon, in time for the evening commute. The storm is expected to bring 1 to 2 inches in low-lying parts of the county and 2 to 4 inches in the Santa Cruz Mountains, along with strong winds and a 15-20% chance of isolated thunderstorms.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz County takes battering reminiscent of January storms, girds for another round
Rio Del Mar and Capitola Village saw the worst effects of Thursday’s high tides and swells reaching 30 feet, which rendered a number of roads closed and damaged some ocean-facing buildings. More rain and another set of large waves are expected to arrive on Friday and early Saturday, respectively.
Posted inLatest News
Evacuation warnings lifted for Capitola, Aptos, but more rain and ocean swells on the way
Santa Cruz County officials lifted evacuation warnings for much of the region Thursday afternoon after high tides and huge waves caused flooding and damage to parts of Capitola and Aptos. But they warned that the county is set to see more rain on Friday, followed by another “significant coastal wave event” early Saturday morning.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Heroic Dose Records on the hunt for new original music in Santa Cruz
Local singer-songwriter Jim Rosenberg’s “Finding Joseph,” a tribute to those lost to homelessness, is the first single from Heroic Dose Records in Santa Cruz.
