Another day of dangerous winds is on tap as the Dixie fire continues to grow and the River fire burns homes north of Sacramento.
Environment
Posted inCoast Life
Nearly 5,000 lose power: What we know about PG&E’s Santa Cruz, San Lorenzo Valley outages
The first outage began at approximately 8:31 p.m. Wednesday when Ben Lomond area residents lost power that wasn’t restored until midday Thursday because of a fallen tree into electrical equipment, according to PG&E. That outage at its peak affected 2,194 customers.
Posted inEnvironment
Fierce winds threatening to make things worse on surging Dixie fire
Personnel attacking the Dixie fire — including firefighters from Santa Cruz County departments — were bracing for strong winds expected to arrive Wednesday afternoon that could make difficult conditions worse. The fire stood at 274,139 acres and 35% containment.
Posted inCoast Life
WATCH: If Santa Cruz were a car … Hyundai goes all out in capturing this place’s vibe in new sport vehicle
“Journey Through Santa Cruz” was filmed by legendary skate culture documentarian Stacy Peralta, who has an appreciation for the area’s unique vibe and contributions to the world of surfing and skating.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Sowing seeds of hard work & hope: Homeless Garden Project’s delayed move to Pogonip still on the horizon
A long-planned move to the Pogonip hit a snag when the city discovered environmental contamination on the site stemming from skeet shooting that happened almost 100 years ago. Since discovering the contamination, the Homeless Garden Project has worked with soil scientists, state and county regulators and the City of Santa Cruz to define which areas at Pogonip are safe for organic urban farming.
Posted inEnvironment
The fight to clean up the recycling maze: ‘Americans find it more confusing than building IKEA furniture’
At least 85% of single-use plastic items don’t get recycled, even if they carry the familiar triangular symbol. A California bill would restrict which plastics can bear the mark. As Sen. Ben Allen puts it: “Americans find recycling… more confusing than building IKEA furniture, doing their taxes, playing the stock market or understanding their spouse.”
Posted inEnvironment
Sewage line break along East Cliff causes contamination of Schwan Lake, other waterways
A temporary health advisory was also issued at Cowell Beach late last week due to elevated levels of bacteria, probably unrelated to the East Cliff situation. Swimming and wading should be avoided while the advisory is in effect.
Posted inLatest News
‘Praying that it rains’: In drought-plagued northern Mexico, tens of thousands of cows are starving to death
Sonora is the cattle capital of Mexico. But prolonged drought is killing off the herds. The rancher doesn’t use the phrase “climate change” to describe what’s happening, but he laments that every year seems drier and hotter than the last. In recent months, he has watched helplessly as 70 of his 100 cows have starved to death.
Posted inEnvironment
Newsom asks Biden to ensure Pentagon OKs use of satellite data for wildfire program
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants President Joe Biden to urge the Pentagon to continue providing sensitive satellite information to firefighters so they can spot and track wildfires — and Biden pledged to take up the issue.
Posted inLatest News
Dixie fire swells beyond 240,000 acres, swallowing homes: ‘It’s been heartbreaking’
The Dixie fire is now the 11th largest wildfire in California’s recorded history, searing more than 240,000 acres.