Redevelopment presented its tips on vamping up Santa Cruz to the city council in a Nov. 29 study session. Councilmember Tony Madrigal presented his ideas on Christmas lights and wireless internet.
Articles by Jacob Pierce
Celebrating Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Roots
If bluegrass music were a family-run company, mandolin-picker Bill Monroe would be founding CEO. That’s why Ginny Mitchell of Santa Cruz Live TV is bringing guitar maven Peter Rowan, who played with Monroe as one of his “Bluegrass Boys,” to the Digital Media Factory. The honorary day is set for Sunday. Dec. 4 for Bill Monroe Day in Santa Cruz. Mayor Ryan Coonerty proclaimed it so.
Protesters Take Hahn Student Services at UCSC
If news aggregates tried tracking down the word of the year for 2011, “Occupy” would be near the front of the pack. Perhaps in that spirit, a group of UC–Santa Cruz protesters decided to occupy a university building on Monday, Nov. 28 at about 5am. The group wants to raise awareness about rising tuition—with the most recent increase of 8 percent approved earlier this month—and a controversial pepper spraying incident at UC Davis.
‘A Year With Frog and Toad,’ a Creature Feature for All Ages
When it comes down to it, Frog shouldn’t really even need Toad. The congenial amphibian could just as easily pal around with the mice and birds that hang around the swamps if he wanted. But he doesn’t. He prefers his slower-moving, socially inept foil. This year’s winter Shakespeare Santa Cruz play, A Year With Frog and Toad—the group’s first holiday production in two years—is an all-ages tale of friendship based on the children’s books by Arnold Lobel.
Gift Guide: The 12 Crazes of Christmas
The fad gift phenomenon may seem like little more than a horrifying distillation of American consumer culture. There are the high prices, the long lines and those family members who went to bed early on Thanksgiving night only to wake up early and strangle the other toy-grabbing moms the next morning in a show of how much they love their kids. But the fad trend is bigger than that.
Which Way on Pacific Avenue?
Even before Santa Cruz’s Public Works Department temporarily stymied the debate about turning Pacific Avenue into a two-way street—decreeing that public safely won’t allow it—some locals had strong ideas on how to re-engineer the business district’s main artery.
UPDATED: Occupiers Say They Will Sit Down With City
“We’re having a historic event,” says Chris Doyan, who wears a tricorne hat and is sitting on the steps of the Santa Cruz County Courthouse. “Occupy Santa Cruz is going to have joint meeting with the City of Santa Cruz.” Occupy members say Vice Mayor Don Lane came by yesterday and agreed to schedule a joint meeting for 10:30 a.m. today (Monday, Nov. 14).
County Treasurer Removes Two Big Banks from Trusted List
County Treasurer Fred Keeley is taking a harder line with JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America starting right about now. “They rigged the marketplace,” says Keeley. “Apparently with big banks, there’s nothing they won’t do. I’m not going to do business with them anymore.”
Why Two-Way Pacific Came to Screeching Halt
If last week’s turn of events is any indication, the two-way Pacific Avenue plan that activists had criticized for moving too fast might have been doing just that. Last week, the Downtown Association withdrew its fast-tracked $20,000 proposal to re-design the street for a two-way traffic trial run that would have launched during the holiday season.
Weird Al: King of Strange
The singing satirist, who performed Nov. 4 in Santa Cruz, talked to Santa Cruz Weekly about his career, the radio DJ who made him famous and the art of poking fun.
