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.
Santa Cruz
Posted inFood & Drink
Lily Belli on Food: Restaurant reopenings, Westside coffee options expand & call for kiosk operators
Hello eaters! Jessica M. Pasko here. While Lily is out on parental leave, I’m pitching in on the latest local food news. A little about me — I’m a writer and a native of upstate New York, living in Santa Cruz for over a decade. Our rich food culture is just one of the many […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Lulu Carpenter’s takes over former Coffeetopia on the Westside
The Mission Street spot that housed Coffeetopia for more than two decades is now under Lulu Carpenter’s umbrella, joining its downtown location and pair of smaller kiosk outposts.
Posted inFood & Drink
City of Santa Cruz extends call for food businesses to operate kiosks, Tannery cafe
The kiosk outside downtown Santa Cruz’s Del Mar Theatre is empty following the demise of Cafe Campesino and another could open up this year, the city’s economic development manager says. And expanding the reach of the Tannery’s food outpost is the goal as the city looks for a new partner for the arts campus.
Posted inFood & Drink
Alderwood Santa Cruz back open, Venus Beachside soon to follow post-remodels
Downtown’s Alderwood Santa Cruz is cooking again, with a renewed emphasis on fine dining, while Venus Spirits’ Rio Del Mar restaurant is aiming to reopen in July. Both locations underwent a facelift, and Venus Beachside is promising some menu renovations, too.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
LOL: Santa Cruzan is crowned world’s official greatest laugher
Carla H. Brown, a self-professed “recovering serious person,” is the planet’s best at conjuring laughter when there’s nothing specific to laugh at. She leads an online Santa Cruz group of 1,000 aiming to tap into laughter’s documented health benefits, and says winning the global competition gives her “a way to bolster the importance of joy and levity and laughter as a tool for healing and well-being.”
Posted inUncategorized
How I Got My Job: NOAA fish researcher Tom Laidig on spending 31 days at sea for work
Tom Laidig’s job as a fish researcher at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration takes him out in some of the deepest parts of the ocean to study the ecosystem hundreds — even thousands — of feet underwater. Laidig’s current research involves environmental DNA, where scientists take a water sample and run the DNA to see what is present in the ecosystem at different points along the coast and how it changes, in part to understand the effects of climate change on marine life.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
As Santa Cruz celebrates Juneteenth, activist Thairie Ritchie says city’s racial reckoning hasn’t gone far enough
In the three years since the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, conversations reflecting the racial reckoning going on across the country began to take place locally in Santa Cruz, activist Thairie Ritchie says, but the movement gradually flickered out. Ritchie is organizing a Juneteenth event, March Towards Love & Courage, starting at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the downtown London Nelson Community Center, where he hopes attendees achieve some of this reflection on the movement.
Posted inFood & Drink
These views weren’t made for just walking: Where to get breakfast, lunch and dinner along West Cliff Drive
Iconic West Cliff Drive is a Santa Cruz favorite for locals and tourists alike, and whether you need breakfast and a caffeine pick-me-up, a snack or lunch on the go or a sit-down dinner with killer views, the food and drink options aren’t bad, either. Laura Sutherland gives us the tour, with stops at Shrine Coffee, Steamer Lane Supply and Jack O’Neill Restaurant & Lounge.
Posted inLatest News
Rare $1,000 African tree grape plant stolen from UCSC arboretum ‘a real loss,’ says nursery manager
Earlier this week, a rare and hard-to-replace plant was stolen from the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum’s collection. Nursery manager and propagator Linda McNally said it was likely stolen by a “succulent enthusiast” who knew of its value, and she lamented its loss.