A couple of weeks ago, while blazing temperatures and azure skies drew thousands of people to Santa Cruz beaches, the Santa Monica-based group Heal the Bay threatened the summery good vibes with a press release headlined “Top Ten Beach Bummers.” In its annual Beach Report Card, the group gave Cowell’s Beach, right next to our beloved Steamer Lane, an “F” and listed it as one of the two most polluted beaches in California.
Letters to the Editor: June 20-26
One reader supports an East Coast effort to fight obesity. Others chime in about alternatives to desalination and what really makes a good dive bar.
Melatonin Shows Encouraging Medical Signs
Imagine an organ that regulates everything from sleep and mood to sex and food—an organ that Renee Descartes referred to as “the seat of the soul.” It’s called the pineal gland, and current research indicates that the possibilities for this hormone are endless.
Chop Tops Blast Billy Audiences Away
It’s Thursday night, and Gary Marsh is waiting inside his band’s favorite bar, the Asti, rocking slicked-back hair and a gray collared shirt he could have borrowed off a car mechanic. Having just bought a Red Bull, Marsh—who goes by “Sinner” in the rockabilly-blasting Chop Tops—is sipping his nonalcoholic drink, ignoring my questions and gazing over my left shoulder at the bar’s front door. Now he’s just buying time.
Recipes for Keeping Cool
Summer’s here and the time is right for kicking back on a lounge chair, dousing yourself in coconut suntan lotion and relaxing by the nearest body of water. But wait . . . there’s something missing! A tasty, chilled cocktail, perhaps?
Hard Work Pays Off for Michael’s on Main
Tanned and relaxed, Michael Clark looks as engaged with his culinary commitment as he did 11 years ago, when he opened Michael’s on Main in Soquel village.
Projected Water Swap Flows Reduced
New figures unveiled at a June 14 forum didn’t bode particularly well for a plan environmentalists hope could be an alternative to desalination. County water resources director John Ricker spoke at a forum hosted by the Engineers for Water Alternatives.
Camaraderie Abounds at Gaming Tourney
The Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament at the grand opening weekend of Level Up Video Games in downtown Santa Cruz is bracket-style, starting with 54 and ending with 1. By 1pm the first round is over and most of the little kids have been beaten. Now teenagers and young adults prepare for Round Two.
Local Rapper Gets a Break
Things are falling into place for Alwa Gordon. The Aptos-based rapper just returned from Las Vegas with three professionally produced hip hop tracks by Grammy-nominated production team the Audibles. Not only did he not pay a cent for them, he was flown out by the record label Future Music to make the recordings and sent home with the tracks free and clear.
Jim Denevan’s Table-to-Farm Revolution
On a farm outside Santa Barbara, Jim Denevan, 50, is making his way down a long table set between rows of lettuce and ripe fennel. With a wine glass cupped behind his back and a battered straw hat clinging to his bald dome, he greets his guests, pausing to hunker down near the occasional chair and chat.
