Quick Take:
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak unprecedented impacts on the housing market, there are several indications...
Hello, hello, and welcome to a new week! It’s Monday, March 7, and after this chilly start, Santa Cruz County is looking at a mainly sunny day with highs in the mid-60s.
The continuing war in Ukraine is on the minds of many, and Lookout’s Hillary Ojeda talked to a pair of local women about their worries for family members facing the Russian invasion and their feelings of helplessness.
And with the war just part of the media maelstrom we all navigate every day, Wallace Baine has some thoughts about how to keep our mental health in balance.
We’ve got those headlines and more, including an ugly showdown between wild turkeys and mail carriers, so let’s dig in:
‘Imagine not knowing’
Two local Ukrainian women spoke to Lookout about their country, their families and the helplessness they feel. They are trying to raise awareness about the war, which they say affects everyone. Hillary Ojeda has their story.
➤ ON THE GROUND: Scattered corpses. A rain of rockets. A week inside Russia’s war against Ukraine (Los Angeles Times)
Managing the media maelstrom for the sake of mental health
No one of conscience can afford to turn off the news of the world, Wallace Baine writes, but for our own good, we must step away from the fire hose of the doomscroll in favor of the books, movies or whatever represents our emotional homeland to keep ourselves in balance. Read his Sunday column.
➤ MORE FROM WALLACE: Karen Joy Fowler explores a famous American family in her latest novel
Santa Cruz overnight RV parking ban moves slowly forward
The city of Santa Cruz’s aim to remove RVs and trailers from city streets still hasn’t become reality. The planning commission’s vote to keep it moving is another step in the complex process. Get the update from Grace Stetson here.
➤ MORE ON HOMELESSNESS: Read our Unhoused Santa Cruz series here
➤ LATEST JOBS IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY: See all the most recent listings here.
- Finance Manager at O’Neill Sea Odyssey
- Manager, COVID-19 Response & Compliance at Cabrillo College
- Guest Service Host at CineLux Theatres
****
Feud between mail carriers, wild turkeys comes to a deadly climax
After months of turkey attacks on mail carriers in a Sacramento-area community, one U.S. Postal Service worker is under investigation for killing an aggressive bird, wildlife officials say. Our partners at the Los Angeles Times lay out the situation.
➤ MORE ON LOCAL FAUNA: ‘The landscape of fear’: Big cats pay a price for avoiding areas now inhabited by humans (Lookout)
New Russian cease-fire offer greeted with scorn as shelling of Ukraine cities continues
Two previous cease-fires went nowhere, trapping hundreds of thousands of people trying to flee Ukrainian cities under heavy assault by Russian forces. The Times has the latest from Ukraine.
➤ LOCAL CONNECTIONS: Santa Cruz’s Ukrainian sister city is long way from war, but deeply entwined in its cultural conflict (Lookout)
This treatment can protect vulnerable people from COVID. But many don’t know about it
Evusheld can help protect immunocompromised people from COVID, but patients say scant awareness and a complicated process have hampered its rollout. Read more from the Times here.
➤ MORE ON THE HEALTH FRONT: Millions of Californians at risk of losing health coverage when federal COVID programs end (CalMatters)
CLICK HERE TO BECOME A LOOKOUT MEMBER
Around the county …
➤ ‘Best day of the year’: Caroline’s gives $500K to local nonprofits (The Pajaronian)
➤ Wildcatz’s historic soccer season ends with runner-up finish in CIF NorCal D-I championship (Santa Cruz Sentinel)
➤ What’s behind the Bay Area’s Ikea furniture shortage? (SFGate)
OK, you’re ready to take on another week. Keep tabs throughout the day by bookmarking our website and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and visit our Lookout Newsletter & Text Center to sign up for our other newsletters, breaking news alerts and more.
Our content isn’t possible without community support — so please, if you’re not already consider becoming a Lookout member and suggest our site to friends and family.
Now get on out there with your bad self!
Will McCahill
Lookout Santa Cruz