Good morning. It’s Thursday, Jan. 8, and a sunny day is ahead for Santa Cruz County, though highs will top out in only the mid-50s, and with temperatures forecast to drop into the mid-30s overnight, the National Weather Service has issued a cold weather advisory.
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Max Chun starts us off with the latest on the rebuilding of the Capitola Avenue bridge over Highway 1. Caltrans is shutting down alternating sections overnight beginning Sunday, and a spokesperson for the state transit agency says it’s hoping to wrap things up by the end of January, nearly two years after the overcrossing connecting Soquel and Capitola shut down.
As we approach a year since the massive fire at the Moss Landing battery storage facility, Tania Ortiz reports that crews continue to remove and dispose of batteries, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency overseeing the efforts. About a third of the nearly 36,000 batteries have been “deenergized” and processed for recycling, the director of Monterey County’s department of emergency management told officials this week.
In Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section, Daniel DeLong writes about the rapid advances in artificial intelligence, admitting to a love-hate relationship with this technology and examining the surprising ways AI is now poised to end (or at least severely mess with) the human race.
The day’s headlines also include a mountain lion sighting off Main Street in Watsonville … onward.
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With Capitola Avenue bridge reopening in sight, Highway 1 to close overnight Sunday through Thursday
Caltrans will shut down sections of Highway 1 overnight from Sunday through Thursday so crews can remove temporary falsework on the Capitola Avenue overcrossing. The bridge between Capitola and Soquel could open by the end of January. Details here from Max Chun.
Cleanup of Moss Landing battery facility continues under EPA oversight; Phase 2 of building demolition to start mid-2026
Battery cleanup and disposal continues at the Moss Landing battery storage facility that burned almost a year ago, according to Monterey County officials. Approximately 12,000 of the 35,772 batteries have been removed and transported for recycling. Tania Ortiz has the latest.
DAILY DIGEST
Among what’s still out there Thursday is a revamped but still very weekend-focused newsletter, combining the best of Lily Belli’s Eaters Digest – dining tips, best bites and food events – with the arts and entertainment news that have been the staple of Weekender. If you’re subscribed to either (or both), you don’t need to do anything, but if that sounds like something you’d be interested in (did I mention it’s free?), subscribe here to the new Weekender plus breaking news alerts via email.
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Thanks for reading – be good, and I’ll see you next time.
Will McCahill