Hey hey hey โ€“ it’s Tuesday, June 23, and you know the summer weather drill, Santa Cruz County: morning clouds โ€“> afternoon sun, temperatures from the 60s to the 80s.

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It’s to North County we go for starters, with Lily Belli taking in the transformation of the Davenport Roadhouse. Not only have the guest rooms and common spaces gotten upgrades, but a new chef has overhauled the menu and events have become a cornerstone, all the while keeping the roadhouse’s old-school charm.

With county supervisors aiming to finalize a bare-bones budget, cuts to both Arts Council Santa Cruz County and the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History are on the table, Tania Ortiz and Caly Luna Plowman report. The Arts Council’s $170,000 contract is in jeopardy, and the MAH could see its funding halved.

In our Community Voices opinion section, the Lookout Editorial Board shines a light on the unsanitary conditions along Coral Street in Santa Cruz after homelessness nonprofit Housing Matters stopped offering day services earlier this year. Our local leaders actively took on public health issues when they confronted COVID-19, the board writes; now, they must end the slow and bureaucratic response to the Coral Street crisis before we have a public health emergency.

The Tuesday headlines also include the arrest of a Watsonville woman over a threatening comment on Instagram directed at the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board โ€“ let’s have a look.

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Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

How new owners revived the Davenport Roadhouse and turned it into a North Coast destination

A year after purchasing the historic Davenport Roadhouse, business partners Ginny Miller and Gavin Parsons have transformed the North Coast landmark into a destination with renovated guest rooms, an upgraded restaurant, expanded event spaces and a renewed focus on serving locals and travelers. Drawing on backgrounds in hospitality and design, the pair has modernized the property while preserving its artistic, coastal character, positioning the roadhouse for a sustainable future as a community gathering place and Highway 1 stop. Go inside with Lily Belli.

Credit: Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz

County contract with Arts Council on chopping block amid tough budget year; MAH funding cuts also proposed

Santa Cruz County staff are proposing to cut a $170,000 contract with the Arts Council and reductions to a contract with the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History to address a funding gap in the countyโ€™s parks department in a tough budget year. Details here from Tania Ortiz and Caly Luna Plowman.

Credit: Via Pixabay

There’s more on the menu from Lookout as Tuesday rounds into form, and plenty of ways to make sure you’re keeping up with it all. Sign up here for breaking news alerts via email and for whichever of our many other free newsletters tickles your fancy, including Lily Belli on Food, coming later. You can also opt into breaking news notifications when you download the Lookout Santa Cruz app from theย Apple App Storeย orย Google Play Store, and follow Lookout on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and/or Threads to stay current via social media.

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Thanks for reading, and have a super Tuesday.

Will McCahill

A veteran jack-of-all-trades journalist who is Lookoutโ€™s copy editor, writes and compiles Morning Lookout newsletter and produces Lookoutโ€™s other editorial newsletters and helps run Lookoutโ€™s social...