Morning Lookout: Casalegno’s CZU-inspired reinvention; COVID in numbers and art

Goooood morning, Santa Cruz County! Today is Tuesday, July 26, and our familiar summer pattern continues, with morning clouds giving way to sunny skies and temps in the 60s to 90s.

First up this morning is Lily Belli, who brings us the story of the rebirth of a Soquel San Jose Road landmark: Three Sisters Three Corners at Casalegno’s is more than just a place for a quick coffee pit stop, part of Gina Lund’s post-CZU fire reinvention.

Meanwhile, with the latest Omicron subvariant driving COVID numbers upward, Max Chun has a look at how the county is tracking cases and what a new vaccine and possible booster could mean.

And in our Community Voices opinion section, local artist Marie Cameron writes about how a rainbow at Pajaro Dunes was the revelation she needed for a project that helped get her through the pandemic’s worst days.

On an entirely different note, if trivia is your thing (and since I know you’re into Lookout if you’re reading this), Abbott Square will be the scene Tuesday night for the first Lookout Trivia Night, hosted by Santa Cruz County’s longest-serving journalist, Wallace Baine himself. Get more details here — and Lookout members get a special treat at the free event.

Now let’s draw the curtain on the day’s top headlines:

The CZU-inspired birth of Three Sisters Three Corners at Casalegno’s

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Gina Lund, like so many others around Santa Cruz County, saw her life and community changed by the 2020 fires. She has reinvented a nearly 100-year-old country store in Soquel, aiming to create a new community center — and reinforce the local economy of food growers. Lily Belli has the story.

➤ MORE FROM LILY: Find all of Lookout’s food and drink coverage in one spot

Santa Cruz County COVID tracking getting more sophisticated as a new vaccine enters environment

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Omicron’s emergence has caused 2022 to look a little bit different, with more surges and reconsideration of mask mandates than was expected during the vaccine campaign of 2021. But can a traditional vaccine — one officials hope will get more people vaccinated — and a booster that targets Omicron spell the beginning of the end of the variant’s reign? Get the details from Max Chun.

➤ COVID DASHBOARD: Get the latest on Santa Cruz County case numbers, vaccines and more

Plenty to chew on this Tuesday morning — and there’s more in the sous-vide right now in the form of Lily Belli on Food, so bookmark our website and follow Lookout on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for that and everything else we have in store.

And none of this great local journalism is possible without community support, so if you’re not already, please consider becoming a Lookout member — and tell a friend about what we’re doing!

May your Tuesday be a good one — I’ll see you back here Wednesday morning.

Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz