Hey folks,
Max Chun here taking over for Will McCahill for a bit as he enjoys some well-deserved time off. I hope everyone is having a good week so far. It appears to be a quintessential Santa Cruz day today, with clear skies and highs in the low-70s.
JUMP TO … Latest News | Opinion | Events | Job Board | Puzzles
Tania Ortiz reports that the City of Santa Cruz is strongly opposing a plan to release convicted rapist Michael Cheek from state custody and place him in a hotel on Ocean Street, if a first option in Watsonville isn’t viable. Cheek was convicted of kidnapping a 21-year-old woman from Seacliff State Beach and raping her at gunpoint. He later escaped from custody and was convicted of committing a very similar crime against a 15-year-old in Lake County.
In case you missed it, I followed up with the mother of one of the victims of the stabbing that took place at the clocktower plaza in downtown Santa Cruz on March 21, who said that her son, 42-year-old Justin Moore, died over the weekend. Police told me on Tuesday that the suspect, Robert David Worel, has been rebooked and charged with murder.
I also went to the corner of Ocean Street and Water Street yesterday evening, where Indivisible Santa Cruz County was hosting a rapid response protest to the U.S.-Israel war in Iran, and President Donald Trump’s serious threats against the country. Although he eventually backed down from the threats, organizers say people need to ensure not to normalize the behavior and violent rhetoric.
In Jessica Pasko’s weekly business column, she reports that Santa Cruz County agreed to a settlement with retail pharmacy giant Walgreens, which stems from claims that the company overcharged customers and sold expired over-the-counter products. She also has names, numbers, and upcoming dates to keep in mind.
Now, for the headlines…
Take advantage of our special election season offer: Just $99 for your first year
Use coupon code Election2026 at checkout to save nearly 50% off the first year of an annual membership.
City of Santa Cruz strongly opposing plan to place rapist Michael Cheek in Santa Cruz hotel
The City of Santa Cruz is opposing a plan to release rapist Michael Cheek from state custody and place him in a hotel on Ocean Street, if a first option in Watsonville is “not viable.”
One of two victims in clocktower stabbing dies after two weeks on life support; suspect rebooked and charged with murder
Justin Moore, the second victim in a March 21 stabbing near the downtown Santa Cruz clocktower, died this past weekend at Stanford University Medical Center following about two weeks on life support, according to his mother. He was 42.
DAILY DIGEST
That’s gonna do it for me this morning. Sign up here for breaking news alerts via email and text, and for all of our other newsletters. You can also find Lookout on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads and/or Bluesky.
Get all of our award-winning local coverage, with breaking news notifications, games and plenty of other features right on your smartphone by downloading the Lookout Santa Cruz app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Our content isn’t possible without community support, so if you’re not already, please consider becoming a Lookout member.
See you all back here tomorrow morning!
Max Chun
