Lookout PM: Seabright and harbor businesses continue to struggle, food businesses and Watsonville airport prep for Super Bowl, and SC wharf repairs nearing completions

Weekender: Pizza, sausage and other Super Bowl snacks; ex-supervisor’s Grammy win

Your cheat sheet for eating well and going out in Santa Cruz County, with recommendations from Lily Belli and curated event listings from Lookout’s free, searchable BOLO calendar.

Despite partial Murray Street Bridge reopening, businesses continue to hurt

H&H Fresh Fish Co. in the Santa Cruz Harbor has seen an uptick in customers since the city reopened the Murray Street Bridge to eastbound traffic last week. But businesses on the west side of the bridge continue to suffer almost a year into the three-year construction project, and say they’ve lost faith that the city is listening.

Watsonville airport braces for crowds flying in for Super Bowl weekend

By Tania Ortiz

Watsonville Municipal Airport is welcoming tourists from all over the country as they arrive in the region to watch Super Bowl LX this weekend. Watsonville is one of 16 regional airports selected by the FAA to help support the increase in air travel for the big game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

Santa Cruz Wharf repairs on track for end-of-February completion

By Max Chun

The City of Santa Cruz is nearing completion of its planned repairs to the municipal wharf, restoring about 40 feet of the section that was swept away in a storm in December 2024. The city is also moving forward with longer-term plans for the historic structure that could begin as early as this fall.

Local kickoff: Santa Cruz County food businesses cash in on nearby Super Bowl

By Lily Belli

Santa Cruz County butchers, pizzerias and breweries are bracing for a busy Sunday as fans stock up for home watch parties for Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara. From thousands of pounds of handmade sausage to a flurry of last-minute pizza orders, local food makers say football and sunny weather are a reliable recipe for a sales surge.

OPINION: Berry growers should pay to restore special ed in Pajaro Valley schools; it’s the right answer

By Woody Rehanek

Retired special needs teacher Woody Rehanek believes Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s unusually high rates of special needs students are linked to decades of pesticide exposure near schools and homes. He’s shocked by the district’s December decision to cut 160 positions, including 40 serving special needs students. He cites research showing organophosphates and related chemicals can impair brain development, contributing to learning disabilities. He calls on berry growers to go organic near schools and make large donations to make up the budget gaps. The PVUSD cuts, he warns, could trigger lawsuits and cause lifelong harm to kids and our community.