Local news in the classroom: Weekly roundup 1/7/26
Welcome into 2026!
Rain is making the first week back in school a bit damp, but we should start seeing some sun again by Wednesday. There is positivity in this first week of local news; West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz is now fully reopened and girls’ flag football is starting the year off strong with a showcase in Aptos.
Also, don’t forget to share with your students that Lookout’s annual journalism scholarship is still taking submissions and will be closing in about one month! All high school students in Santa Cruz County are encouraged to apply. The top ten winners will be published on Lookout’s site and the top three winners will win $500 each. Check out more information, including entry requirements, here. If you would like to assign this to your class and would like us to host a class workshop, or have a Lookout representative come to your class to share more info, we would be happy to! Feel free to reach out with any questions at interns@lookoutlocal.com or jamie@lookoutlocal.com.
This week’s highlighted stories
Newsmakers 2025: West Cliff storm damage work finally wrapped up as city looks toward long-term plans
Why it matters: Santa Cruz’s West Cliff Drive, which has been damaged ever since the 2023 atmospheric rivers, is finally fully repaired and reopened. City officials are now considering long-term plans, including gaining a better understanding of coastal erosion, potential partial road relocation, and federal reimbursement for emergency repairs, highlighting the challenges of preserving coastal infrastructure.
In the classroom: Ask students what benefits the West Cliff repairs brought to the community. What obstacles might come up while officials are organizing long-term solutions? How should city leaders balance existing road repair with relocation of infrastructure?
Booming girls’ flag football sees Aptos showcase next week
Why it matters: Flag football has been growing in popularity across the nation and is even set to be featured in the 2028 Olympics. Locally, 34 top senior girls from the Santa Cruz and Monterey counties will compete against each other this January. Some of the players discuss what the sport means to them.
In the classroom: Ask students to consider why event organizer Joel Domhoff thinks the sport has become more popular, especially with young girls? What does playing teach the young female players about themselves? Why are these types of opportunities so valuable?
LOCAL NEWS
Books about women top Santa Cruz Public Libraries’ most checked out books in 2025
By Hillary Ojeda
Books centered on women dominated Santa Cruz Public Libraries’ most checked-out titles in 2025, led by Kristin Hannah’s “The Women” in adult fiction and Britney Spears’ memoir “The Woman in Me” in nonfiction.
Ask Lookout: What prompts a tornado warning, and do we have a ‘tornado season’?
By Max Chun
Two tornado warnings over the past two weeks likely surprised many Santa Cruz County residents. No tornadoes touched down in the county this year, but one did in Scotts Valley at the end of 2024. So what prompts a tornado warning from the National Weather Service? And when, if ever, is tornado season locally?
Santa Cruz will soon host 76% of homeless shelter beds in the county. That has to change
By By Kevin Norton
Santa Cruz shoulders an outsized share of the county’s shelter beds, safe-parking sites and day services, despite making up less than a quarter of the population, writes local activist Kevin Norton.
Interested in more stories? Browse all our recent coverage here.
CALIFORNIA NEWS
Big Tech got regulated, but just barely: 2025 in review
By CalMatters
California showed it was serious about regulating Big Tech in 2025 — and Big Tech showed it was serious about coming to the statehouse and fighting back.
Gavin Newsom’s legacy: Can he deliver on unmet promises in his final year as governor?
By Jeanne Kuang / CalMatters
Under Gavin Newsom’s tenure, health care has been expanded, but his housing goals and homelessness pledges remain unfinished. Can he deliver before eyeing the White House?
Educator Resources
10 Student Stories We Loved in 2025
From PBS Student Reporting Labs, 10 curated and inspiring stories written by students from 2025.
Journalism Scholarship
Lookout is accepting submissions for our journalism scholarship contest from November to February. We invite all high school students in Santa Cruz County to apply. Top three winners win $500 each and top ten winners get published on the Lookout site.
Book a class visit with Lookout Santa Cruz
We’d love to visit your classroom! Lookout staff can come to your classroom and lead a workshop about various things from journalism to elections. These workshops last the length of one class period and are a great way to get your students engaged in different aspects of learning. Reach out if you are interested.
Thank you for all the work you do in our community. Your efforts help younger generations build media literacy skills, engage with their communities, and grow as active democratic citizens. If you’d like to learn more about our school programs, get involved, or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at interns@lookoutlocal.com or my mentor Jamie Garfield (Director of Student and Community Engagement) at jamie@lookoutlocal.com
Best,
Ava Salinas
Educational Program Assistant
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