Good morning to you, readers. It’s Wednesday, Jan. 21 – shaping up to be a cloudy day around Santa Cruz County, with highs in the upper 50s to mid-60s, and a slight chance of showers overnight.
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A newsy morning, so let’s dig in. Max Chun has the latest on the historic Bayview Hotel, reporting that the Aptos Village landmark is again in escrow after a sale fell through last year. This deal could be done by spring, depending on whether the buyers can expand the 14-room, 10,000-square-foot property.
As the investigation continues into a gun and ammunition found on the Aptos High School campus, Grace Chinowsky has a pair of stories. Aptos High Principal Lisa Lansdale addressed parent concerns – though provided few details – at a booster club meeting Tuesday; earlier, Grace spoke with an Aptos resident who says he found the weapon while walking his dog on campus Sunday.
Jessica M. Pasko has her weekly look around local business, leading off with a community meeting set for next week for locals to learn more about the housing development that’s being proposed for the site of famed downtown Santa Cruz music venue The Catalyst.
Tania Ortiz and Kevin Painchaud were on hand Tuesday afternoon as hundreds of Watsonville High students walked out of class to protest federal immigration enforcement and express solidarity with immigrant communities nationwide. “I’m very proud of us as a community and as a school,” one organizer said. “This is a great representation of how a small town can be so strong together when we stand together.”
The Wednesday headlines also include the Watsonville City Council moving forward with an ordinance governing parking for oversized vehicles on city streets, and Jana Marcus’ review of Night “B” of Santa Cruz County Actors’ Theatre’s short plays festival. Let’s go.
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New Bayview Hotel sale could close by spring, says realtor
The historic Bayview Hotel could be sold by this spring, following a year in which the historic Aptos Village building lingered on the market, much to the interest of developers and locals alike. The property is once again in escrow, and the seller’s real estate agent said he expects the potential buyer will commit to the purchase by the end of January. Max Chun reports on where things stand.
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Meeting scheduled for proposed housing at Catalyst site; national retailer marks Santa Cruz debut
The Santa Cruz community gets a chance next week to learn more about the development proposed for the site of The Catalyst nightclub, Jessica M. Pasko reports in her weekly look at local business. Meanwhile, home decor and retail chain Anthropologie is set to open on Pacific Avenue on Wednesday. Read it all here.
DAILY DIGEST
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Before we wrap this up, a message from Jamie Garfield, Lookout’s director of student and community engagement:
Lookout Santa Cruz is proud to introduce the next chapter of our Lookout in the Classroom program: Lookout for Teachers, giving local middle and high school educators free, unlimited access to Lookout Santa Cruz’s independent, fact-based local journalism. Beyond full access to our reporting, teachers receive a weekly stream of curated current events paired with classroom-ready resources — quizzes, lesson guides, discussion prompts and media literacy activities aligned to real curricula. Read more here.
We have tested this program for a few years, but now, thanks to our donors and Changemaker Members, we are now able to publicly provide free memberships for 450 middle school and high school teachers. Sign-ups are first come, first served, and they are going fast. So share this information with a secondary teacher in your life.
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Thanks for reading, and have an excellent Wednesday.
Will McCahill