Morning! It is Wednesday, Oct. 7, and our hot stretch continues around Santa Cruz County, with upper 90s forecast in the mountains – where a heat advisory is in effect until Thursday night – and upper 80s closer to the water.
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In the wake of another round of local Starbucks closures, Kate Lipsky asked patrons and workers at some of Santa Cruz’s many independent coffee shops how they feel about a familiar chain closing nearby. Starbucks long ago lost the atmosphere that makes local coffee shops appealing places to work and gather, said one Verve customer, who described the recent closures as a “long time coming.”
Jessica M. Pasko has her Wednesday survey of headlines from around local business, this week leading off with a pair of court cases involving Joby Aviation. In one, Santa Cruz-based Joby scored a victory in a trade-secret lawsuit involving one of its chief rivals, but it was ordered to pay $116.9 million in a second, unrelated case in which a jury found the company breached a confidentiality contract with a supplier.
Pajaro Valley Unified School District Superintendent Heather Contreras is in line to be hired by San Luis Coastal Unified School District, Hillary Ojeda reports. Contreras has been with PVUSD a little more than two years, at a tumultuous time for the district.
Writers of Color Santa Cruz County will host a poetry showcase this evening at the Museum of Art & History, featuring 17 performers from across North and South County, Alia Yee Noll writes. The gathering marks five years of building an inclusive space for writers of color to share their work and center experiences that have often been overlooked in traditional literary spaces.
Before the Wednesday headlines – which also include a new home for Motion Pacific dance – this snapshot:
Lookout staff spent a sunny Tuesday afternoon at Abbott Square for our first mobile newsroom pop-up, with about 30 community members stopping by. We heard congratulations and thank-yous, story ideas, tech tips, membership questions and plenty of thoughtful feedback about Lookout and the local news you want to see. Some folks simply wanted to meet the people behind the newsroom, which was just as meaningful to us. It was a great reminder that local news is a two-way conversation. Thanks to everyone who took the time to stop by and share what’s on your mind. We loved getting out of the office and spending a few hours in the community — and we hope to do it again soon! – Jamie Garfield
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As Starbucks closes stores, what does it mean in a city built around independent coffee?
Starbucks has closed four Santa Cruz County locations in the past year, including two that shut down in September. We asked local coffee drinkers and independent baristas whether the closures matter in a city with a thriving independent coffee scene — and the answer depends on what customers want from their morning cup. Here’s what Kate Lipsky heard and saw.
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Mixed courtroom results for Joby Aviation; digging into summer tourism numbers
In her weekly look at Santa Cruz County business, Jessica M. Pasko relays how Joby Aviation has fared in the courtroom lately, crunches local summer tourism data and spotlights more names, numbers and dates to know. Read it all here.
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That’s what I know as we hit midweek, and with more coming from Lookout, make sure you’re keeping up with it all. Download the Lookout Santa Cruz app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to outfit your trusty smartphone with all of our local coverage, breaking news notifications, games and more. We also offer breaking news alerts via email, along with a library of other newsletters – all free when you sign up here. Sprinkle some local flavor into your social media scroll by following Lookout on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and/or Threads.
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Thanks for reading – have a great Wednesday.
Will McCahill