“I tease them that they have taken over my whole house, which is not far from the truth, but the trade-off for me is that they are wonderful, healthy cooks who make dinner for me nearly every night,” Jeannie Herrick writes of her adult daughter and her daughter’s partner, who moved into Herrick’s Aptos home after leaving Los Angeles amid the pandemic. “I am definitely getting spoiled.”
Pandemic Life
Posted inHealth & Wellness
California schools back with fewer COVID rules, lagging vaccine rate. Winter surge coming?
Health experts are watching to see how schools do without expansive masking and testing for COVID-19, especially with many children unvaccinated.
Posted inCOVID Today
Omicron subvariants BA.4.6 and BA.2.75 are here. How concerned should California be?
Health officials are watching the two coronavirus subvariants to determine whether they will eventually become worrisome in the state.
Posted inCoast Life
Beyond the Benchlands: Under lawsuit threat, Santa Cruz sets plan to clear homeless camp. What happens next?
Santa Cruz began clearing the Benchlands this week, but city leaders acknowledge that this could be a slow process depending on the number of shelter beds it can provide and the willingness of those in the encampment along the San Lorenzo River to relocate.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
As inflation spikes more hunger, Second Harvest needs volunteers to help meet the needs
The rise in inflation has brought an uptick in the number of people needing food from Santa Cruz County’s premier supplier of food relief. Second Harvest has the food, but needs more hands to get it to the hungry.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Homeless vets were said to be a local success story. So why does the latest data indicate otherwise?
While support for homeless veterans has been robust at both the state and national levels, a recent survey done in conjunction with February’s one-day point-in-time count suggests that the situation in Santa Cruz County might not be as positive as local advocates believed. Was it an anomaly or is there a bigger problem to be addressed?
Posted inCOVID Today
Cognitive rehab could help older adults clear COVID-related brain fog
People whose brains have been injured by concussions, traumatic accidents, strokes, or neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease can benefit from targeted therapy. Experts also employ therapies for long-COVID patients with memory and language problems.
Posted inCoast Life
‘What would we do without these people?’ A Q&A with ‘furious’ farmworker advocate Ann Lopez
When she turned from biologist to sociologist and human rights advocate 25 years ago, Ann Lopez realized how dire the situation was for humans born into a caste system that put them on a path toward what she considers to be agrarian slavery. COVID, climate change and affordability have worked against change, but that hasn’t slowed her fight for justice.
Posted inK-12 Education
Back to school soon — what to do about COVID?
California’s guidelines haven’t changed much from last spring — masking and vaccination remain highly recommended — though fears of increased infection have risen. In Santa Cruz County, just over 44% of youth aged 5 to 9 have received a COVID vaccine compared to about 68% of 10-to-14-year-olds. Among those aged 15 to 19, about 61% have received a vaccine.
Posted inCOVID Today
More evidence that bosses want you back to work in the office despite COVID’s endless grip
Work from home is what many employees want. But employers still want you back in the office.