Greetings, Lookout friends. It’s Monday, Sept. 14, and sunny skies look to be the order of the day around Santa Cruz County, with high temperatures mainly in the 80s.
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The 93-year-old Stockton Avenue Bridge, a key artery in Capitola Village, is getting some short-term fixes, Max Chun reports in his weekly Carmageddon column, after the Capitola City Council approved repairs aimed at buying 10 to 15 years for the span. While there are no immediate safety concerns, one structural engineer says 75 years is a typical lifespan for such a structure.
The Santa Cruz County Fair is happening this week, and at a time when seemingly everything is ever more expensive, it’s cheaper to attend this year, Tania Ortiz reports. In a deliberate move by organizers to bring back families priced out by rising costs, the fair has cut its admissions and parking prices.
In Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section, community activist Peggy Flynn writes about a drunk driver totaling her car, and with it, she lost her hard-earned sense of independence, security and accomplishment. Now, she writes, she’s navigating insurance companies, rental cars, unexpected expenses and the exhausting search for a replacement she – a woman in her 70s living on a fixed income – might never be able to afford.
The day’s headlines also include a preview of a sumo event coming to Santa Cruz and the latest in the Community Voices “Why Art Matters” series – away we go.
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Carmageddon: Capitola City Council approves short-term repairs for Stockton Avenue Bridge to extend lifespan
The Capitola City Council voted on Thursday to approve a polyester concrete overlay for the Stockton Avenue Bridge, the Caltrans-recommended course of action, to buy time as the city moves toward long-term work for the nearly 100-year-old structure, which could involve full replacement. Max Chun has details.
Santa Cruz County Fair just got cheaper – here’s how much you’ll save
Prices for admission and parking at the Santa Cruz County Fair have decreased, with organizers hoping to draw more families to the yearly event at the county fairgrounds in Watsonville and make it more affordable. Here’s more from Tania Ortiz.
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Here’s to a good Monday all around – thank you for reading.
Will McCahill