Quick Take:
With a goal to continue their mission to uplift the community through music and music education, Kuumbwa Jazz created...
Good Morning! It’s Monday, June 7 and it’ll be mostly sunny with a high of 69. The National Weather Service says it will be windy in most of the Bay Area and Central Coast today, though Santa Cruz County will be largely spared.
We’re waking up to some interesting national news: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos will be flying to space on July 20, in the first crewed flight of a new rocket ship built by his company.
Meanwhile, California’s June 15 full reopening date is fast approaching and public health officials are still navigating the rules that will go into effect — including whether or not you will have to wear a mask around your coworkers when you go back to the office. And if you feel like it’s still too soon for a full reopening but would still like to take a summer break, our Lookout contributor Liza Monroy has great suggestions for you to get the most out of a staycation here at home.
Let’s dive in:
‘Our locals kept us alive’ — and so did outdoor dining: a push for Scotts Valley restaurants to stay outside
With restaurants, politicians and community members seemingly all-in on outdoor dining, bureaucratic hurdles could be the only thing keeping Scotts Valley from making it permanent before a city ordinance expires at year’s end. “Problem we face is every weekend, everyone wants to wait for outdoor dining. And the problem on weekends is we don’t have enough servers,” said one business owner. Read more from our Neil Strebig here.
Holy Cross School gets stolen property back, suspect in custody after ransacking
Santa Cruz authorities returned stolen property to Holy Cross School late last week, days after a classroom was burglarized and ransacked. And a suspect for the crime is in custody: Santa Cruz resident Robert Negron, 55, was arrested early Thursday after officials used surveillance footage to identify his van. Negron had seven outstanding warrants at the time of his arrest. Read more from our Nick Ibarra here.
Staycation Santa Cruz: Your guide to living the tourist life with none of the hassle and limited expense
If it still feels too soon to take a “vacation,” or you just didn’t get around to planning one, rejoice in all the vacation-y — staycation-ish — goodness Santa Cruz has to offer. Why should the tourists get all the fun anyway? Read the full staycation guide from Lookout contributor Liza Monroy here.
Environmental beat
As wildfires decimate the giant sequoia, California faces unprecedented loss: When wildfire tore through giant sequoia groves in the Sierra Nevada last year, researchers estimated hundreds of the towering trees were killed. Now, almost nine months later, experts have revised that figure tenfold — a toll of 7,500 to 10,600 trees or 10% to 14% of the world’s natural population. “They’re one of the most fire-adapted species on Earth, and…this really is a warning sign much bigger than the trees themselves,” an expert said. Read more from the LA Times here.
Ticks on a ‘quest’ for blood at California’s beaches. Is Lyme disease a rising risk? Millions of people enjoy hanging out at California beaches in the warmer months. So do ticks that carry Lyme disease. That’s one finding from four years of fieldwork in the Bay Area and nearby wine country involving the collection of some 3,000 Western black-legged ticks. Read more about this from our partners at the LA Times here.
Around the state…
With restrictions tightening elsewhere, California moves to make abortion cheaper: Even as most states are trying to make it harder to get an abortion, California could make it free for more people. A bill, approved in the Senate and headed to the Assembly, would eliminate out-of-pocket expenses like copays and payments toward deductibles for abortions and related services, such as counseling. The measure would apply to most private health plans regulated by the state. Read more from our partners at Kaiser Health News here.
California moving toward workplaces without masks: What you need to know: California took a major step last week to define what COVID-19 workplace safety rules will look like as the pandemic continues to fade. A state safety board recommended that on June 15, employees at workplaces be allowed to take their masks off if everyone in the room is vaccinated. Read more about what could change and what it means for you here.
Around the county…
Coast Guard rescues Hawaii-bound kayaker outside Santa Cruz (NBC Bay Area)
Two die hours apart in separate Highway 17 crashes (The Pajaronian)
Santa Cruz Civil Grand Jury releases report on wildfire risks in city (The Santa Cruz Sentinel)
That’s it for today. If you’re enjoying our coverage, please tell your family and friends about our Lookout Newsletter & Text Center, where they can sign up for all the newsletters and alerts we offer. You can also keep tabs on everything we’re publishing through the day by bookmarking our website and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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Have a great day!
Tulsi Kamath
Managing Editor