2011. The Year of the Rabbit, in the Chinese lunar calendar (emphasis: diplomacy). The Year of Forests and the Year of Chemistry, according to the United Nations. And, if incoming federal House and Senate GOP’s stick to their word, the Last-Ever Year of Earmarks.
Sheriff’s Deputies Host Christmas Party for Underprivileged Kids
About 400 kids showed up at the Elks Lodge on Sunday for a Christmas party hosted by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department.
Watsonville Gets Money to Fight Gang Violence
Gang violence has been one of the most talked about problems in Santa Cruz County this year.
Rain Takes A Toll on Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County received a pummeling this weekend, with rain and high winds knocking down power cables and causing mudslides to block roads. The mountain areas got 3 inches between Saturday evening and Sunday evening alone. “The ground is saturated with water. The winds started blowing so trees are falling everywhere,” says Wil Wingert of the Aptos Fire Department. He says that the department is “a little overwhelmed” by the number of calls reporting downed cables in Aptos and throughout the county. He encourages local residents to be patient and most importantly, to be mindful of safety measures until the wires can be cleared and power can be restored.
New Water Supply for Pajaro Valley?
Last year Barry Nelson of the National Resources Defense Council gave Californians a dire warning: “Look at a map of California and you will see that every major watershed has been tapped. We have hit—or passed—peak water on each of these rivers.” While it may seem ironic to say so as the Central Coast braces for a brutal rainstorm, peak water, much like peak oil, is a serious threat to California and the affluent way of life we lead here. Nelson continues: “Interestingly, this is not a controversial idea within California’s business and urban water communities. Although they may not yet use the term peak water, they are already planning for its reality.”
Body Found in State Park
Sheriff’s deputies have confirmed the identity of a man found dead in Big Basin Redwoods State Park on Thursday near Berry Creek Falls.
I’m Dreaming of A Wet Christmas
Gwyneth Paltrow and the gang from “Glee” could have been singing about the Bay Area and not some town in suburban Ohio. While the Midwest is digging out from being slammed with pre-Christmas snow, the California Coast is bracing for a full week of rain culminating in a wet—not white—Christmas this year. The two storms headed our way could bring as much as 10 inches of rain to the region, with 2 to 5 inches of rain and 30 to 45 mph gusts of wind tomorrow alone. Santa Cruz and Big Sur are expected to be particularly hard hit.
The Blind Boys In Santa Cruz
A legendary group in its own time, the Blind Boys of Alabama are a globetrotting gospel ensemble that has won numerous awards, from Grammys and lifetime achievement recognition to an Obie and induction into the Gospel Hall of Fame. But back in 1939 at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in Talladega, Al., the idea of being career musicians was a notion that was just starting to simmer in the minds of a few young boys.
Man Who Left Suspicious Package Identified
Prosecutors are brushing up on their Bible stories now that the SCPD has identified the man who left a suspicious package outside District Attorney Bob Lee’s home.
Robert Norse Wins A New Trial
More than eight and a half years after Robert Norse was ejected from a City Council meeting for giving a Nazi salute, a federal appeals court in San Francisco has ordered a new trial. This offers the homeless activist a new chance to sue then-Mayor Christopher Krohn and City Council for violating his right to free speech, or in Norse’s case, free salute.
