In this month’s installment of Local Poets, Local Inspiration, J. Zimmerman responds to Garrison Keillor’s assertion that nothing much interesting rhymes with ‘Santa Cruz.’
News
Ten Questions for Jonathan Fortney
The UCSC astrophysicist, winner of the prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship, touches on parenthood, being a force for political change and a very exciting discovery.
UCSC Hires Grateful Dead Archivist
Nick Meriwether hardly fits the classic stereotype of a librarian. Sure, he has a master’s degree in library science from the University of South Carolina and spent five years as an oral historian at the South Caroliniana Library. But if her were to follow Superrman’s lead and slip into a phone booth to remove his suit and spectacles, he’d come out in tie-dyes and faded jeans, instead of cape and tights.
Group Demands County Reopen SC Veterans Center
The closure of the Veteran’s Memorial Hall is being challenged by the one group that has not found another home, the Veterans Council of Santa Cruz County. They argue that their engineers have found the building to be structurally sound, and have filed a lawsuit to be allowed to reoccupy it.
Longer Waits At The Bus Stop Ahead
The transit District has lost $1.6 million in sales tax revenue over the past year, while ridership has declined by 7.8 percent, meaning a $267,297 loss in revenue (plus a $93,000 hit because of declining paratransit numbers). In addition, state funds that would normally go to public transportation are being diverted to cover other looming budget gaps.
“Condor Time Now for the Coho”
The National Marine Fisheries Service says that the coho salmon population in Santa Cruz County could be saved from extinction, but only if local government and property owners are willing to make some major concessions. Conservationists estimate that there are only a few dozen coho salmon in the county today.
Gilligan Lookalike Tries to Rob Bank
The SCPD is on the lookout for a man who tried to rob a Mission Street bank yesterday. Described as being in his 40s or 50s, he had a brown beard and olive drab coat. Most distinctively, however, was the “Gilligan”-style sailor cap he wore.
UCSC Suspends Community Studies Program
For over 40 years, since 1969, UCSC was home to the acclaimed Community Studies program, a multidisciplinary program combining the humanities and social studies. The goal was to create a corps of community leaders and activists committed to social justice and change. Graduates of the program went on to work for a variety of major nonprofits, including the Santa Cruz AIDS Project, the Community Action Board and Barrios Unidos. Their teachers included local activists including Santa Cruz’s current mayor, Mike Rotkin, who oversees the program’s fieldwork component.
Gospel According to Griffin
Patty Griffin was genuinely surprised by the invitation to record a gospel album. “I’m not a gospel singer,” she says from her home in Austin. “My voice just doesn’t have the power for it.” Thinking it would be a good challenge, though, she agreed to the project under one condition: that Buddy Miller produce it. The resulting collaboration is Downtown Church, Griffin’s seventh and most recent album, which meanders gracefully through sacred song tradition, speaking to gospel fans and the Patty Griffin faithful alike.
Helium Balloons Under Attack
When State Senator Jack Scott proposed a ban on foil balloons, he added the proposal that the state fund a UC study on potential alternative materials for manufacturing balloons. That did not go over well with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who suggested that given its $20 billion deficit, California might find more productive ways to spend what little money it doesn’t have.
