Gault Elementary School in Santa Cruz is about to receive $450,000 to encourage its students to ride their bikes or walk to school.
News
Endorsements: Santa Cruz City Council
Eight candidates are competing for three open seats on the Santa Cruz City Council in an election that could well see a seismic shift toward the center for a body long dominated by progressives. Termed-out are the left-leaning Mike Rotkin and Cynthia Mathews; up for re-election is pragmatic incumbent Lynn Robinson.
Grave Matters In Santa Cruz
Ocean Street Extension is a dead end—quite literally, for its residents interred at Santa Cruz Memorial Park, catching up on their eternal rest at the mausoleum or awaiting the fiery furnaces at the crematorium.
Endorsements: Measure H
Measure H is being touted as a way to fund extra police officers, which many residents and business owners have been demanding ever since gang violence began intensifying on the Westside. The May 1 mayhem added to the sense of urgency. But faced with a 1.5 percent increase in the utility tax (from 7 to 8.5 percent), which would add $5-6 a month to the average household’s financial burden, some of those same people are now balking.
Crematorium Poses Threat to Development Project
Just about any housing development is faced with some unique problem or other from day one. Then there is the 40-unit residential development on Ocean Street Extension in Santa Cruz. The $8.5 million dollar project may have to be cancelled because it sits too close to a cemetery. And Halloween is just a week away.
Drive for Schools Rakes in the Cash
The state has no more money to add to the school budget and neither do local authorities. Instead, it’s up to the citizens themselves to lend a hand, and perhaps even benefit from their efforts. This Sunday, Drive for Schools, sponsored by the Boardwalk and Toyota and Subaru of Santa Cruz, held its drawing for the winner of this year’s raffle. The winner was Hillary Hirano of Santa Cruz, who has two sons attending school in Scotts Valley. Her prize was a choice between a Toyota Prius, a Subaru Outback or a check for $25,000. The real winners, though, were the 67 public schools across Santa Cruz County, who will share in the $384,000 that this year’s raffle brought in.
Minor Arrested in Watsonville Slaying
Police have arrested a 17-year-old male for the murder of Yahya Ahmed last Tuesday.
Endorsements: Capitola City Council
Of a field of four strong candidates, Bob Begun and Michael Termini offer useful technical expertise.
UCSC Seal Researcher Helps Map Ocean Floor
In Antarctica, unknown forces were shearing pieces off the Wilkins Ice Shelf. The Shelf, with an area the size of Jamaica, began to collapse in 2008, and scientists wanted to know why. If it disappears, they warn, more ice will flow from Antarctica into the ocean, accelerating the rise in sea levels. The problem is that the factors contributing to the disappearance of the ice shelf lie over a mile deep in frigid waters. Enter Daniel Costa, a UCSC researcher who studies elephant seals.
Five Arrested in Kiddie Porn Sting
Five men were arrested Wednesday for collecting and distributing child pornography over the Internet.
