The SCPD has arrested Max Cagle for randomly kissing young children he met while walking down the street.
News
After 22 Years, Juvenile Murderer Up For Parole
Back in 1988, when he was only 16, Donald Schmidt was convicted of sexually assaulting and drowning a 3-year-old. He has since been under lock and key at the Stockton Youth Facility, the oldest ward of the state in a juvenile facility.
Teen Beaten on Beach
On Sunday, a local 18-year-old got into a fight on the beach near West Cliff Drive and Fair Avenue. According to reports, he was attacked by four assailants aged 15-27 who hit him, kicked him and possibly beat him with an unknown object.
Watsonville Pilot Program Provides Health Care for Infants
A new program called Baby Gateway is making sure that babies born in Watsonville get the care they need, and that parents of these babies get the support they need in those critical early years.
Though half of all babies born in Santa Cruz County qualify for MediCal, the registration process can be confusing for many parents, and infants often end up being brought to the emergency room when there is a problem. Baby Gateway hopes to alleviate the problems by assisting new parents with the MediCal enrollment process and ensuring that each family has a primary care physician to help it with its needs. New parents are also offered a crash course in how to tend to their babies, and what signs to look out for that may indicate that the child is ill. Materials are provided in English, Spanish and Korean.
Homeowners Hot For Chicks
We’re used to hearing that 60 is the new 40 and that gray is the new black. Could chickens be the new dog? Some people in Santa Cruz seem to think so. There’s a new trend in Santa Cruz—raising chickens for eggs in your own backyard. Way back in 2005, Scotts Valley Feed sold just a couple of hundred chickens. In 2009, they sold more than 3,000 to avid backyard farmers who want to raise chickens and harvest their eggs. After all, a happy chicken can produce as many as six eggs a day, meaning that just a few chickens can produce quite a bit of food for the truly cholesterol-starved. Especially popular are the heritage brands, which add color and flavor to the Food Inc.-style variety eggs we tend to find in the grocery.
Mr. Lipson Goes to Washington
Kicking the Santa Cruz Mountains soil off his boots and trading his dry-farmed acres for a government office, organic farming advocate Mark Lipson is headed to Washington next month for a two-year stint with the USDA. “We began as an exotic, invasive species,” he recently told a research group in Washington, “but now organic farming and food is becoming a full-fledged part of the native ecosystem here at USDA.”
John Laird for Senate District 15
The June 22 race for Senate District 15 is no ordinary contest. Coming two weeks after the high-profile June 8 primary, it risks falling victim to voter apathy—yet it’s arguably one of the most critical races in the state. Together with the race for Senate District 12, which includes Salinas and Modesto, the outcome could shatter Sacramento’s crippling gridlock by wresting control away from the Republican party, which has sorely abused its minority rights and put ideology above California’s welfare.
Grand Jury Weighs in on Library Crisis
The Santa Cruz County Grand Jury is not happy with the way the county’s libraries are being run. A report released yesterday noted that the technology infrastructure is outdated, buildings are aging, and the collections are not being updated as necessary. Its conclusion: local libraries will no longer be able to meet the needs of their patrons in an age where technology is changing so quickly. As an example of the problem, the Grand Jury noted that the system is the only one in the country to still use an outmoded computer system.
Rock Throwing Vandal Arrested
Santa Cruz police have arrested Zakari Adams, 22, as one of the vandals responsible a wave of incidents throughout the city.
Watsonville Teacher Arrested for Having Sex with Student
Tanya Thienngern, 37, who teaches English at Pajaro Valley High School, has surrendered to the Watsonville police after a judge signed a warrant for her arrest. Thienngern is charged with have sex with a 17-year-old student and at least one other current or former student, as well as serving alcohol to minors and contributing to the delinquency of minors. If convicted, she could face up to 7 years and 4 months in prison.
