Scotts Valley, Watsonville and Aptos are all holding their traditional observances of Independence Day with parades and festivities, despite many jurisdictions holding the line against illegal fireworks
Coast Life
Posted inLatest News
Q&A: Recently discovered mastodon tooth may hold ancient secrets about evolution of Santa Cruz County
Wayne Thompson has been fascinated with ancient animals since his family owned Scotts Valley’s now-closed Lost World attraction. He’s been on the trail of Ice Age mammals in Santa Cruz County since a juvenile mastodon skull turned up in Aptos Creek in 1980, and the May find of a tooth on a Rio Del Mar beach has the Museum of Natural History paleontologist excited anew.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
As Santa Cruz tries bike-share again, officials foresee a smoother ride this time around
With more than 400 bikes and 800 docks up and running around Santa Cruz and the UCSC campus, and plans to expand around the county by next year, the bike-share deal with Wisconsin-based BCycle is “leaps and bounds” better than the previous arrangement with Jump that petered out in 2020.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Junior Guards joy: Why making my daughter cry every day was one of the best decisions of my life
“The best day of 2023 came and went unnoticed by most of the city 13 days ago,” says Santa Cruz dad Dan Ackerstein. That’s because on June 12, the Junior Guards program to teach kids ages 6-17 water rescue skills began in the city of Santa Cruz. Similar programs exist in other parts of the county and propel kids to state, national and international competitions. Ackerstein calls Junior Guards “the most ridiculous, difficult, important and remarkable things about Santa Cruz. It’s basically a rite of passage for many families, including, now, mine.”
Posted inLatest News
4 in 10 California residents are considering packing up and leaving, new poll finds
Californians are overwhelmingly enamored of the state and appreciate its diversity. Still, about 40% of residents are considering leaving, mostly because of the costs.
Posted inGuides
Zip line the redwoods, take a forest bath, ride the rails, row a boat — choose your own Felton summer adventure
No matter your budget, the ages and size of your crew and how you like your fun (active, chill, noisy, peaceful, with or without an adult beverage at hand …), chances are you can find something in Felton to make summer memories to cherish. Take our quiz and let Ashley Spencer be your guide from there.
Posted inCity Life
A very Villela summer breezes into Kuumbwa
Brazil native turned longtime Santa Cruz County resident Claudia Villela has a new album, “Cartas Ao Vento (Letters to the Wind),” and she brings it the stage Monday at Kuumbwa Jazz.
Posted inCity Life
Make plans now for an essential pilgrimage to Boomeria
The Santa Cruz Baroque Festival is slated for July 8, and while it features master musicians aplenty, the real star is Preston Boomer’s hand-made organ, the beating heart of his Bonny Doon estate.
Posted inEnvironment
Cowell Beach, once among California’s most polluted, gets ‘A’ for cleanliness for fourth straight year
For the fourth consecutive year, Cowell Beach received a high grade on nonprofit Heal The Bay’s annual beach report card, keeping it off of the “Beach Bummers” list of notably dirty beaches. Changes in infrastructure at the wharf and Neary Lagoon have made the difference, says environmental compliance manager Akin Babatola.
Posted inEnvironment
What’s killing hundreds of sea lions and dozens of dolphins along the Southern California coast?
More than 1,000 marine mammals along the Southern California coast have gotten sick or died due to the bloom of toxic algae, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.