Sunday Reads: Inside fight night at KP Arena; the haunting loss of a friend

Fight night at Santa Cruz’s KP Arena: Four hours in, hometown hero Danny Compton enters the Octagon

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Forget pro wrestling, the five-hour card — with 11 bouts — Friday night at the Santa Cruz Warriors’ arena is a first-of-its-kind event in town. Mixed martial arts incorporates kickboxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu and any number of techniques of formalized hand-to-hand (or even foot-to-foot) combat. The contestants are quite a mix as well — strawweight, bantamweight, welterweight, including “The Cali Cowgirl,” one representing his home country of Kyrgyzstan. How bloody will this evening be, and how will the local guy perform in a make-or-break duel at the end of the evening? Wallace Baine from ringside.

➤ MORE FROM WALLACE: Stained glass ‘Dancing Waters’ now adorns downtown Santa Cruz’s River and Front entryway

I lost my longtime friend to suicide. I’ll never recover.

(Via Claudia Sternbach)

Lookout columnist Claudia Sternbach is mourning the loss of her friend of almost four decades, who took his own life last month. In a Community Voices opinion piece, she shares her grief, sense of helplessness and hope that her friend has found “some kind of peace.” Read it here.

➤ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Make your voice heard and read what Santa Cruzans are saying about local issues

The bravado, the brand and the beans: Verve Coffee achieves a national footprint

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

As a partnership with banking giant Capital One catapults Verve Coffee Roasters into dozens of highly visible locations across the U.S., the artisanal brand that started on 41st Avenue in 2007 continues to spread its wings well beyond Santa Cruz. Ashley Spencer has the story.

➤ MORE LOCAL FOOD & DRINK: Full Steam Dumpling chef launches Back Door Bánh Mí