Quick Take:
As the cost of college textbooks continue to rise, educators and students alike are looking to more contemporary modes...
Happy Tuesday evening, everybody. Though the weather was delightful, Santa Cruz County — and the world as a whole — seems to be hunkering down against the Omicron wave.
But before we get to that, here’s your moment of Zen:
Ahhh. So, with that, onto the headlines:
More summer construction coming
Cone Zone: Work on a heavily-traveled section of Soquel Drive is slated to start this summer. Though officials say it will improve commute times and relieve congestion, there will be some slowdowns during its 12 to 16-month construction timeframe. Lookout’s Grace Stetson fills us in on the details here.
➤ Earlier: 30-month construction project on Murray Street Bridge beginning soon
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Where and how to get a test or a vaccine
Update: Your weekly overview of COVID-19 vaccine progress and availability around Santa Cruz County, plus updates on booster shots, testing and more. See the details, complied by our staff, here.
➤ Infections spiking: Amid surging California numbers, Santa Cruz not immune: County sees highest daily case counts yet
Food Not Bombs protests removal
Upset about decision: The group, which has been around for more than four decades and has been handing out daily free meals since the beginning of the pandemic, protested its removal from a Santa Cruz city-owned parking lot Tuesday. City officials say the site, at Front and Laurel streets downtown, will soon be a construction site and it’s not safe for them to remain.
➤ PREVIOUSLY: Santa Cruz tells Food Not Bombs it’s time to go: Lot 27 being cleared by city to make room for construction
More Omicron insights
Quickly contagious: Omicron can make you contagious before you test positive, which allows for its rapid spread. Check out more details from our partners at the Los Angeles Times here.
More from here & elsewhere
➤ Jorge Zamora sworn in as new Watsonville police chief (Santa Cruz Sentinel)
➤ Schools ‘nearing their breaking point’ as Bay Area districts grapple with staffing, testing and masking challenges (San Francisco Chronicle)
➤ Will more Bay Area counties ban gatherings like Sonoma? (Mercury News)
➤ Identity of woman in bizarre crash, ocean recovery in Santa Cruz County released (KBSW)
That is all for this Tuesday night. See you back here tomorrow.
Dan Evans
Executive Editor