The Regional Transportation Commission on Thursday heard hours of staff reports and public comments regarding the possible closure of the Felton line to freight in order to save up to $65 million in repair costs. No action was taken, but RTC staff said they would continue working with the line’s owner, Roaring Camp, on a solution to the issue.
San Lorenzo Valley
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Appeals court orders pause on the placement of a sexually violent predator in Santa Cruz County
An appellate court has blocked the placement of Michael Cheek, a man diagnosed as a sexually violent predator, in a Bonny Doon home pending a ruling on the matter. A Santa Cruz judge approved of the placement in November but then issued a stay.
Posted inCOVID 2022
Vaccine update: Rates, where to find a COVID shot or test; wait, cost and turnaround times
While Santa Cruz County public schools have taken on the burden of teaching students in person during a pandemic,…
Posted inEnvironment
A new steward: ‘Gateway to Big Basin’ property sold to conservation nonprofit
The Sempervirens Fund announced Tuesday it had completed the $2.4 million purchase of 153 acres along Highway 236 in Boulder Creek, with the aim of donating the land to California State Parks and speeding the reopening of fire-scarred Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
How Santa Cruz’s rail-trail debate created a standoff with Roaring Camp
A Feb. 3 meeting of the Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission is likely to be heated. Why? Commissioners are slated to discuss foreclosing the Felton line for freight trains — which the line hasn’t been used for in years — as a way of moving a rail-trail plan forward. But the owners of the line, Roaring Camp Railroads, are against this idea and are rallying supporters to stop it.
Posted inLatest News
What’s railbanking, and why are Santa Cruz transit experts discussing it?
The Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission’s meeting Feb. 3 will include an informational agenda item dealing with “railbanking” and “adverse abandonment” of the Felton Line. What do these terms mean and how will they affect the future of transit and trails in the county?
Posted inCOVID 2022
COVID-19 updates in Santa Cruz County: Infections, hospitalizations, deaths and demographic data
New Leaf Community Markets brand manager Lindsay Gizdich said the store is moving from Pacific Avenue in order to have…
Posted inCity Life
BOLO Best Bets: Get all jazzed up as the calendar heads to February
Your place to go for things to do in Santa Cruz County.
Posted inPolitics & Policy, San Lorenzo Valley
Why a Boulder Creek land purchase has conservationists so excited
The Sempervirens Fund is closing in on a purchase of a 153-acre property near Big Basin Redwoods State Park — a development that could reopen at least part of the region devastated by the CZU Lightning Complex fire in 2020.
Posted inCOVID 2022
Vaccine update: Rates, where to find a COVID shot or test; wait, cost and turnaround times
While Santa Cruz County public schools have taken on the burden of teaching students in person during a pandemic,…