Art majors at UCSC got a look at their fancy new digs last Thursday when the university opened its Digital Arts Research Center to much fanfare. The $35 million, three-story complex, with its metal, glass and mesh design, glistened in the warm afternoon sun as the chiming music of UCSC’s Balinese Gamelan jingled in the background. David Yager, the school’s incoming dean of the Arts Division, along with Chancellor George Blumenthal, addressed the crowd of about 200 people before cutting a yellow ribbon and opening the doors for the attendees.With slideshow.
FBI to Help Investigate Santa Cruz May Day Riot
The SCPD has asked the FBI to help it investigate the May Day riot, which left downtown with $100,000 in damages. They explained that the event may have been used by a local anarchist group to provide “political and physical” cover for its intended activities, which, police claim, were carefully coordinated.
No Fire at Cafe During Riot
When the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported that anarchists involved with the May 1 riot downtown set fire to the porch at Caffe Pergolesi and blocked access to firefighters, it left out one important detail: there was no fire on the porch. According to a 911 recording obtained by Santa Cruz Weekly and the accounts of SCPD spokesman Zach Friend and Pergolesi baristas Hiram Coffee and Sam Trude, what really happened was that someone lit a bag on fire across Cedar Street from the café and a bush on fire on Elm Street.
May Day Immigration Protest in Watsonville
May Day is traditionally a day of demonstrations, particularly for the underrepresented. In Watsonville it is the day of the annual immigration rights protest at City Plaza. Given the situation in Arizona, and comments by several key candidates in the state (such as Steve Poizner in his Sunday debate with Meg Whitman) in support of the new policy there, it was no surprise that this weekend’s demonstration took on extra urgency.
Businesses Targeted in May Day Event
Local businesses along Pacific Avenue were left picking up the pieces on Sunday after a May Day street party and demonstration turned into a riot on Saturday night. Damages are estimated at $100,000. Police say there were not enough officers on the street to quell the rioters, and help had to be sought from other public safety organizations in the region. According to police spokesman Zach Friend, police were outnumbered 20 to 1 at the height of the riot. After reinforcements showed up it took 20 minutes, he said, to break up the riot.
Body of Missing Autistic Man Found
Erik Lippmann was last seen in his Seabright Avenue home at about 2 am on April 21. The 30-year-old autistic man disappeared some time after that. His body was found near Marina Beach early Thursday morning.
Telecommuting Centers a Hit in Santa Cruz
Felton’s Satellite Teleworking Center is opening its second Santa Cruz location in the New Sentinel Building on Church Street. The site offers telecommuters and the self-employed a chance to work in an office-like setting with all the business amenities at a fraction of the cost.
Dawes’ Southern Sound
Los Angeles, 1968. High above the city, in the countercultural hotspot of Laurel Canyon, in what can safely be described as an act of divine convergence, three musicians named David, Stephen and Graham sit down to play music together for the first time. Some say it happened in Joni Mitchell’s cabin, others swear it was at Cass Elliot’s place, but specifics aside, it was in this moment that Crosby, Stills & Nash, one of many musical legends that would call Laurel Canyon home, was born.
Teacher Cuts Finalized
People across California are worried about the state’s public school system and how it is being handled by Sacramento. According to a study by the Public Policy Institute of California, 62 percent of residents believe that public schools receive insufficient funding from the state, and that this is directly impacting children’s education. The poll also found that 63 percent want K-12 education protected from any further spending cuts.
A Whale of a Panic
From February till the end of April, gray whales migrate along the Santa Cruz Coast from their breeding grounds in Baja California to the Bering Sea. Not this year, cautions Sarah Graham of Santa Cruz Whale Watching. In a normal year, Graham says she sees as many as 30 pairs of mothers and calves swimming north to their feeding grounds each spring. This year she has only seen five. She fears their numbers are dwindling: “They need to be recounted and put on the endangered species list as at least threatened.”
