Hello, dear readers. It’s Tuesday, Feb. 11, and after a sunny (and chilly) start, Santa Cruz County will see more clouds as the day goes on, with rain moving in as early as afternoon in some spots and picking up overnight.
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After seven years leading the school, Matt Wetstein is retiring as Cabrillo College’s president at the end of the year, Hillary Ojeda reports. Wetstein, 61, made the announcement at Monday night’s meeting of Cabrillo’s governing board.
What looked in November like a sale of Aptos Village’s landmark Bayview Hotel to a local developer has fallen through, Max Chun reports, sending its owners back to the drawing board. The overhaul required to update the 150-year-old property and turn it back into a working hotel and restaurant has proved too daunting for would-be buyers.
Closing statements are set for this morning in the trial over the release of Adrian Gonzalez, convicted in the 2015 rape and murder of Santa Cruz 8-year-old Madyson Middleton; Max Chun wraps up Monday’s testimony from a forensic psychologist that Gonzalez, now 25, is not safe for release.
Wallace Baine checks in with local artist Ed Penniman, who will be in the spotlight later this week as he donates one of his paintings to hang in Santa Cruz City Hall. “I’m going to talk about my journey,” said Penniman of the reception Wednesday, “how my art evolved, and how my art served as a healing aspect for me.”
And in Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section, members of community group Santa Cruz Black offer a tribute to Thairie Ritchie, the local civil rights activist who set himself on fire Jan. 20 while standing on the Black Lives Matter street mural in front of Santa Cruz City Hall. “Thairie has spoken collective truths that have gone unrecognized,” they write. “He has held up a mirror to the pain of the world and the pain we see and feel here in Santa Cruz but many choose to disregard.”
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Cabrillo College President Matt Wetstein announces retirement
Cabrillo College President Matt Wetstein announced Monday night that he’ll be retiring at the end of the year – capping more than seven years of service in Santa Cruz County. He told Hillary Ojeda about his favorite memories at Cabrillo and his plans for retirement.
As a sale for Bayview Hotel falls through, historic Aptos property is back on the market
A developer who was in escrow for the Bayview Hotel in Aptos has pulled out of the sale, citing a hesitancy to take on such a large project given the amount of work that is needed to bring the business back into a fully operating hotel and restaurant. The owners continue to look for a buyer. Max Chun has the latest.
DAILY DIGEST
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Be good, and I’ll see you next time.
Will McCahill