It took almost an hour for Ryan Seacrest to tell us that James Durbin made it through to the Top Ten of American Idol. It seemed as if they were toying with us. Sure, it was obvious, but then again, do you really trust the musical tastes of the American masses—the same people that bring us Justin Bieber? So we waited and waited and learned very little, except that Durbin likes heavy metal, and that he was in a photo shoot with People magazine and Country Living (can’t wait to see if they publish his brownie recipe).
News
Police Salaries Cut But Costs Up
The City of Santa Cruz successfully cut its salary base by 3.8 percent in order to meet its budget, the Sentinel reports. This meant more furloughs and positions remaining unfilled, forcing other city employees to pick up the slack. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the SCPD.
Traffic Stop Turns into Heroin Bust
It began as a routine traffic stop on Coral Street on Monday.
T.C. Boyle in Capitola March 7
T. C. Boyle poses difficult questions that he knows will involve answers that are entertaining and thought-provoking—but never clear. He’s an ardent researcher and an intuitive writer. He lives in the spectrum between the two and knows better than most that man and nature are a continuum. Where one ends and the other begins depends on who’s asking the question, and that’s where Boyle starts having fun. His new novel, When the Killing’s Done, is a powerful, bleakly humorous adventure that pits Alma Boyd Takesue, a National Park Service biologist, against Dave LaJoy, an animal rights activist.
Protests Continue at UCSC
About 200 students demonstrated in UCSC yesterday to protest proposed budget cuts that would drain the state’s universities of $1.4 billion. The administration, charged with making the cuts, expressed understanding for the student demonstration, with UCSC Spokesman Jim Burns saying, “The concern that students have about the impact that reduced state support is having on the depth and breadth of our academic offerings is completely understandable. We’re concerned, too, especially since we now must figure out how to make another $19 million in cuts.”
City Avoids Pink Slip Blues
Santa Cruz City Schools Superintendent Gary Bloom is very proud of the way the city’s school district has managed to keep its budget in check. Not one of the district’s 425 teachers will be getting a pink slip this year, and there is even money in the reserve fund.
Fashion & Style: Gone Native
Perched on the western edge of the continent, at the sweet spot between north and south, Santa Cruz catches a multitude of currents swirling through the stylistic universe. For our fashion issue this year we decided to explore three unique Santa Cruz looks arising from this fertile cultural meeting place. With slide show.
Neighbors Complain About Homeless Guests
For months, Penny Huntsinger has been inviting the homeless to stay in her house at 126 Chrystal Terrace in exchange for doing small chores. She is trying to help, she explains, because the city’s shelters are all full, and these people have nowhere else to go. Her neighbors have opinions about all this.
He’s Got Another Round Comin’
Just as predicted, local rock star James Durbin was a huge hit on American Idol last night. His performance of the Judas Priest classic “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” even managed to bring out the inner heavy metal chick in Jennifer Lopez, and kept the f-bomb patrol on their toes as Steve Tyler commented, “You’re just crazy good, man.” Nor was it lost on the judges that Durbin debuted Judas Priest on a show better known for endless trite renditions of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and the Broadway musical Showgirls’ “And I Am Telling You.” Personally, I can’t wait to see him take on the late Joe Strummer.
UCSC Students Buck (Naked) The Trend
Whenever there are budget cuts, higher education is inevitably one of the first victims. UCSC alone is expected to face $31 million in budget cuts during the 2011-2012 academic year, and tuition is slated to go up again, for a total increase of 40 percent since 2009-2010. This is posing an increasing burden on the students, and some end up leaving school with debts running into six figures. That’s even before they start having a job, a family, a mortgage, and kids, who will inevitably want to go to college too.
