Major road work is coming in 2024, and three major east-west arteries — Murray Street, Highway 1 and Soquel Drive — will all see delays and potential closures over the next few years, which could make an already crowded commute even more time-consuming. Now, Carmageddon keeps you updated weekly on the projects that might slow your drive.
Capitola & Soquel
Posted inRecreation & Sports
Athlete of the Month: Soquel High senior Jordan McCord III speeds past defenses to reach new heights
Jordan McCord III led Soquel High School to a historic football victory against Palma High last week, with his athleticism playing a key role as the Knights scored a 14-7 win and avenged last season’s loss. McCord has earned scholarship offers from San Jose State and Eastern Washington.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘A Dark and Rising Tide’: Novelist’s supernatural twist on Capitola Village’s devastating winter storm
The latest novel from former KION-TV news director Debra Castaneda is directly inspired by Capitola’s experience with the Storm of ’23. “A Dark and Rising Tide” imagines a scary winter storm that actually brings forth some enormous and mysterious sea creature, and a couple trying to survive both the ocean’s fury and the monster it washed to shore.
Posted inFood & Drink
A bountiful fall: 23 foodie events happening in Santa Cruz County this month
Local calendars are filling up with food-themed fall events. Lookout food and drink correspondent Lily Belli collected them all in one place, and notes her picks for the best events of the season.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I’m helping build a Capitola park for kids with special needs. My late daughter Kayla would have loved it.
Lisa Harvey-Duren lost her beloved daughter Kayla nearly five years ago to a genetic condition. During her short life, Kayla radiated joy and fought the odds to survive and thrive, Harvey-Duren writes. Kayla could have benefited from more inclusive playgrounds for children with special needs. Now, the City of Capitola is set to create one at Jade Street Park and nonprofit County Park Friends has launched a $1 million fundraising campaign to help cover the $1.82 million cost. Despite Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, most playgrounds are not accessible for kids with disabilities. “Can you simply imagine how discouraging that is for a child and their family?” Harvey-Duren says.
Posted inCoast Life
Forged by chilly waters (and some tears), recent Santa Cruz grad heads to international surf rescue competition
Santa Cruz High graduate Sae Ackerstein, whose junior guards experience was the subject of a Lookout opinion piece that caused some social media ripples earlier this year, is off to Texas this week, where with Soquel High senior Madalyn “Munchie” Price she will compete with Team USA at the International Surf Rescue Challenge.
Posted inLatest News
Capitola Wharf repairs to begin in September, with plans to reopen next summer
The Capitola Wharf has been inaccessible since the first week of the year, when raging swells from the winter storms damaged wharf infrastructure and split the deck. With a project to repair and strengthen the wharf set to begin next month, project leads hope to avoid further winter weather delays.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Field begins to coalesce in races for three Santa Cruz County supervisor seats
Incumbent Manu Koenig is facing a challenge from pro-rail Lani Faulkner in District 1, while the retirement of Zach Friend in District 2 has so far seen three candidates — Kristen Brown, Kimberly De Serpa and Douglas Deitch — file paperwork. Monica Martinez and Christopher Bradford are running to replace Bruce McPherson in District 5, with Sheriff Jim Hart still seen as a possible candidate.
Posted inRecreation & Sports
Daniel in the Warriors’ Den: Santa Cruz MMA pro faces a make-or-break fight, in front of his hometown
Kaiser Permanente Arena will be the scene Friday as Soquel High and Cabrillo College grad Daniel Compton headlines a mixed martial arts card with a bout against Renato Valente that could propel him into the upper echelon of the sport.
Posted inLatest News
After Lumen Gallery Pride flag stolen again, Capitola police investigating latest theft as hate crime
Lumen Gallery’s Pride flags were stolen this past weekend for the second time in just two months. Capitola police are investigating the incident as a hate crime and weighing options for how to prevent future theft and vandalism.