Hello again! I have returned from a four-month break I took this spring to have a baby. Now, Cecilia is a bouncing, thriving 4-month-old, and I am brimming with new story ideas to bring to you, our Lookout readers. Thank you to Jessica M. Pasko, who kept you up to date on Santa Cruz County’s […]
Santa Cruz
Posted inFood & Drink
Eaters Digest: Woodhouse X STS9 Wilder Santa Cruz Session IPA
As summer warms up, Santa Cruz’s Woodhouse Brewing releases a collaboration beer to celebrate next month’s two-night visit to UCSC’s Quarry Amphitheater by Sound Tribe Sector 9. Lily Belli has that and other local brews to try this week, plus local foodie events and more.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Residents overwhelmingly reject tax to fund Branciforte Fire Protection District; station set to close
Residents voted against a levy that would have raised an additional $1 million per year to double the staff at the Branciforte Fire Protection District and keep its only station open. The Local Agency Formation Commission of Santa Cruz County will vote Aug. 2 to finalize the consolidation of Branciforte’s staff with the Scotts Valley Fire Protection District.
Posted inK-12 Education
Santa Cruz fourth grader wins national invention competition with a backpack for forgetful students
Challenged to find a way to stop from losing his water bottles at school, 10-year-old Aarav Patel of Santa Cruz invented the CheckPak, loaded with tracking devices and enough lights and gizmos to keep the most forgetful student on their toes. And despite a late misfire, the backpack won the fourth grade division at the national Invention Convention competition in Dearborn, Michigan in June.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz faces low lifeguard numbers as pools, beaches struggle to keep aquatics programs afloat
Amid a national lifeguard shortage, Santa Cruz County pools and beaches find themselves struggling to find help during peak summer swimming season, though the pandemic’s ebb and hiring incentives have made a dent.
Posted inFood & Drink
Lily Belli on Food: Checking in on Venus Beachside post-remodel, Soif 2.0 coming to Perg & chili crisp
Hello again! I have returned from a four-month break I took this spring to have a baby. Now, Cecilia is a bouncing, thriving 4-month-old, and I am brimming with new story ideas to bring to you, our Lookout readers. Thank you to Jessica M. Pasko, who kept you up to date on Santa Cruz County’s […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Remodeled Venus Beachside puts spirits front and center, leans into seafood
After a six-month makeover, Venus Spirits Cocktails & Kitchen Beachside is back open for business on the Esplanade in Rio Del Mar. Craft cocktails headline the new-look bar, and in addition to faves from its Westside sister location, Beachside boasts lobster rolls, clam chowder and a changing slate of dishes featuring freshly caught fish.
Posted inFood & Drink
Soif 2.0 coming to former Caffe Pergolesi spot as ex-chef Majano plots return to Walnut Ave.
Soif Wine Bar and Merchant will close the doors on its Walnut Avenue location Sunday in downtown Santa Cruz, but a short move to the Victorian that once housed Caffe Pergolesi is in the works. Meanwhile, Santos Majano, onetime Soif chef who also headed the Kitchen at Discretion Brewing, is cooking up something with business partner Lejla Borovac for the spot Soif is vacating.
Posted inUncategorized
How I Got My Job: Sandra Renteria turned her passion project into a lucrative career in vintage resale
Sandra Renteria, owner of Angel Aura Vintage in downtown Santa Cruz, loved to thrift-shop as a teenager. When she found herself with extra time on her hands during the pandemic, Renteria dreamed up the company she now calls her career.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
The fate of Branciforte Fire’s lone station sits with voters this week
Ballots are due Thursday from property owners in Branciforte Fire Protection District, just north of the Santa Cruz city limits around Branciforte Drive and Granite Creek Road, for a tax that would raise an additional $1 million per year and provide enough money to double paid staff from three to six. The vote comes amid a push to consolidate Branciforte Fire into the neighboring Scotts Valley Fire Protection District.