The Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency’s Behavioral Health Division and Community Foundation Santa Cruz County have announced the recipients of the first $810,000 of the $28 million that will flow into the county over the next 18 years as a result of a lawsuit against opioid distributors, manufacturers and pharmacies for their roles in the ongoing opioid addiction epidemic.
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Posted inEducation
UC Santa Cruz graduate takes lead role in new Netflix film ‘Rez Ball’
Kauchani Bratt, who graduated from Cowell College with a philosophy degree, had no prior acting experience before “Rez Ball” – just a couple of acting classes he took at UCSC to fulfill requirements. The new Netflix film tells the story of a high school basketball team of rich Native American heritage in Chuska, New Mexico, striving to win a state championship.
Posted inLatest News
Paving will cause Highway 1 delays near Aptos
A 4-mile paving project will cause delays on Highway 1 in southern Santa Cruz County over the next three weeks. There will be overnight ramp and lane closures at various locations from about a mile north of the bridge at Buena Vista Drive in Watsonville to the bridge at Rio Del Mar Boulevard in Aptos.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz Metro fares are free Wednesday for Clean Air Day
The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District will participate in California Clean Air Day by offering free fares throughout Santa Cruz County, including trips on the Highway 17 Express and ParaCruz, on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
Posted inLatest News
Banana slug now official state slug, 1 of 3 new symbols
The banana slug is now the official state slug of California. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed three bills on Friday establishing three new state symbols. Joining the banana slug are the Dungeness crab and the shell of the black abalone, as state crab and seashell, respectively.
Posted inLatest News
4.2-magnitude earthquake hits near Watsonville
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake centered near Watsonville was felt throughout the area just before 4 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Input sought on Santa Cruz County distribution of syringes, Narcan
The Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County is seeking public comment on a “county-wide, low-barrier, evidence-based Mobile Outreach Program” that would distribute Narcan and sterile syringes and assist with wound care to reduce overdose deaths and illness among drug users.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz Wharf repairs, Dolphin Restaurant demolition planned
The City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Department and Power Engineering Construction Company have begun repair work at the south end of the Santa Cruz Wharf that is expected to stretch into March 2025 and will include demolition of the former Dolphin Restaurant.
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz bans other governments from dropping homeless in city
If a person acting on behalf of another government entity drops a homeless person off in Santa Cruz without any coordination with the city, they will now be charged with a misdemeanor crime, following a unanimous city council vote on Tuesday.
Posted inLatest News
Health care workers name Pellerin ‘Assemblymember of the Year’
Santa Cruz Democrat Gail Pellerin has been named “Assemblymember of the Year” by the National Union of Healthcare Workers for her work fighting for parity in how mental health is treated compared to other health conditions. She will be honored Friday evening in San Francisco along with San Francisco Democrat Scott Wiener, who was named as the group’s “State Senator of the Year.”
