Good morning! It is Monday, Dec. 30, and a mostly sunny day is ahead for Santa Cruz County as we dry out a bit at the tail end of the year, with highs in the mid-50s.
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Hillary Ojeda starts us off with an update on where things stand for dozens arrested last spring during Gaza solidarity protests at UC Santa Cruz – with no formal charges having yet been brought against any.
Tania Ortiz checks in on where things stand with efforts to make Watsonville’s downtown more pedestrian-friendly, a so-called “road diet” that will shave Main Street down from four lanes to three. The city is hoping to convince Caltrans to move up the planned 2031 construction start.
Max Chun also digs into local public works in his Monday Carmageddon feature, leading off with the busy Bay Street corridor on Santa Cruz’s Westside. Bike- and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure is a focus of work on track to break ground in 2025 and continue for two years.
And as we close out 2024, Lookout photojournalist Kevin Painchaud runs down his favorite images from the year that was across Santa Cruz County – find all that and more in Monday’s headlines below.
Triumphs, tragedies and tempests: Santa Cruz County’s 2024 in photos
Lookout photojournalist Kevin Painchaud shares the top moments he captured on camera in 2024, from the collapse of a portion of the historic Santa Cruz Wharf to local tensions over the war in Gaza. Check it out here.
Carmageddon: Bay Street improvements starting up in 2025 — and continuing for several more years
The start to a safer Bay Street corridor is getting off the ground on Santa Cruz’s Westside in 2025, with two sections beginning the work to introduce new bike lanes and transit infrastructure to the major corridor. There will be two open houses in January, where curious residents can learn more about the multiyear effort. Max Chun has the traffic-and-transit details.
DAILY DIGEST
That’s what I know as this penultimate day of 2024 dawns. Rest assured, Lookout is keeping an eye on all things Santa Cruz County, and we’ve got any number of ways for you to keep tabs on our award-winning local coverage. Sign up here for breaking news alerts via email and text, and for all of our other newsletters; if social media is your thing, give Lookout a follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads.
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Have a good Monday!
Will McCahill