After David Scott Smith and his son, Travis Shane Smith, were arrested a day earlier, prosecutors filed several felony charges against them Thursday.
Climate
Posted inEnvironment
A ‘no snow’ California could come sooner than you think
New research has found that winters of low snow, or even no snow, could become a regular occurrence in California in as little as 35 years.
Posted inCoast Life
More than 400 toxic sites in California are at risk of flooding from sea level rise
Lower-income communities of color are five times more likely to live within half a mile of a toxic site that could flood by 2050, new research shows.
Posted inLatest News
He sued SeaWorld to liberate the whales. Then he started getting postcards from them
Ten years after a legal activist filed a lawsuit for orcas held in captivity, he began receiving postcards from them.
Posted inEnvironment
‘There is nothing alive on that tree’: Inside a giant sequoia grove scorched by the KNP Complex fire
Most of the giant sequoias killed by the KNP Complex fire were in a single grove, where flames might have blanketed the tops of the trees that rise more than 250 feet.
Posted inHousing & Development
Santa Cruz City Council rescinds denial, set to reevaluate 831 Water St. project
While the fate of Santa Cruz’s first SB 35 project could be legal entanglements for the city, there are signs that the…
Posted inLatest News
Sportfishing, whale watching charters endangered? Proposed new pollution standards focus on excursion boats
A proposal to require sportfishing and whale watching boats to use Tier 3 and 4 motors — the cleanest available — is causing concern among Santa Cruz captains, who say the replacement costs could put them out of business.
Posted inEnvironment
Q&A: State Sen. John Laird on U.N. climate conference, Santa Cruz impact
State Sen. John Laird, whose district stretches along the coast from San Luis Obispo to Santa Cruz counties, attended the recently concluded United Nations conference on climate change in Scotland. He talked to Lookout about what he learned and what he feels needs to be done locally to deal with our warming planet.
Posted inCity Life
Cautious optimism blooms at Natural Bridges as monarch populations rebound from a dismal 2020
As the annual Thanksgiving count of the icon butterflies gets underway, the numbers are way up. But observers say it’s unclear what’s behind the big jump.
Posted inFood & Drink
Crab season delayed again; fisheries, markets, restaurants learning to adjust
After five years of delays in the commercial crabbing season, shortages of Dungeness crab have essentially become a foregone conclusion. This holds consequences for retail, restaurants and fishermen in Santa Cruz County, and it could soon change the way fishing operates both recreationally and commercially.