Hello, one and all. It’s Tuesday, Aug. 12 – another pleasant day around Santa Cruz County, marine layer giving way to sunny skies and temperatures ranging from low 70s to low 90s.
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Nearly a third of items Santa Cruz residents put into their recycling bins actually wind up in the landfill, William S. Woodhams learned on a recent tour of the city’s Dimeo Lane facility. The tour – free and running through the summer – is part of efforts to better educate the public on how to sort and prepare recyclables.
A mainstay at a discount mall in Watsonville is struggling amid fears of immigration enforcement and inflation under the Trump administration, Tania Ortiz reports. And La Minita is not the only business seeing a drastic drop in revenue. Several other owners of the nearly 30 businesses inside the mall told her they are facing similar issues: no customers and no sales.
As the new school year begins to take shape, Gwyneth Holcomb checked in with local educators on how they’re facing the growing impact of artificial intelligence. The widespread availability of AI tools and AI-generated content is threatening students’ critical thinking skills, some say.
In Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section, local activist Becky Steinbruner urges a boycott of Central Coast Community Energy over what she sees as its leadership’s refusal to be transparent or answer public questions about the company’s embrace of hazardous lithium battery energy storage facilities.
The Tuesday headlines also include Christopher Neely’s look at the language Santa Cruz voters will see on competing housing ballot measures this fall – let’s go.
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Think you know how to recycle? A tour of Santa Cruz’s sorting facility reveals otherwise
A look inside the City of Santa Cruz’s recycling center reveals uncomfortable truths about America’s plastic waste crisis, where nearly a third of recycled items ultimately end up headed to the landfill. Here’s what William S. Woodhams saw.
Facing immigration fears and inflation, a 25-year Watsonville family business fights to survive
Watsonville businesses are struggling with the dual pressures of inflation and immigration fears, with some reporting sales down 70%. At La Minita clothing store, inside a discount mall on Rodriguez Street, Maria Ceballos has added home delivery as customers opt to stay home. Read more here from Tania Ortiz.
➤ TRUMP 2.0: Find Lookout’s continuing coverage here
DAILY DIGEST
There’s plenty more cooking at Lookout as Tuesday unfolds, and that includes a serving of Santa Cruz County food & drink in the form of Lily Belli on Food – among the many newsletters and breaking news alerts you can sign up for here. Download the Lookout Santa Cruz app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to get our award-winning local coverage right on your smartphone, and spruce up your social media feed by following Lookout on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads and/or Bluesky.
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Thanks for reading – I’ll see you next time.
Will McCahill