According to the Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 17 percent of U.S. children between the ages of 2 and 19 are classified as obese. But some areas of the U.S. are more obese than others. Santa Cruz County ranks 29th in the state of California for its levels of childhood obesity, and Watsonville and Pajaro Valley rank 50 percent higher than the rest of the county.
More Cuts Ahead for Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County has a $12.9 million deficit that it must close in the next 18 months. The County’s Chief Executive Susan Mauriello warns that welfare offices and their associated nonprofits can expect to face even deeper cuts than they did last year. In 2009, the county slashed its budget by 6 percent
Big Swell Hits Steamer Lane
Around noon on Wednesday 10-to-12-foot waves brought about 15 brave surfers to Steamer Lane. Waves were expected to reach up to 20-feet as a giant swell headed south from Alaska down the California coast, bringing around an inch of rain to Santa Cruz along with it.
Santa Cruz Housing Forum Kicks Off
Let’s start by stating the obvious: people around here feel very strongly about housing development. Or putting a stop to it. This little coastal town has seen some big divisions and plenty of lines drawn in the sand when it comes to deciding how to house the new immigrants, students and trannies (as in transplants) that arrive in a steadily increasing stream each year. Some of the best known players—the bitterati of the housing fight—have been battling for decades now along predictable factional lines: environmentalists versus developers, progressives versus business interests. Toss in the affordable housing advocates, the anti-university front and the people who just like things the way they are, and what you get is a turf war as heated as gangland. There is no shortage of drama here.
Time for Sensible Budget Solutions
Despite a collegial tone in his State of the State message, Gov. Schwarzenegger followed with a “slash and burn” budget proposal two days later. With a theme of “jobs, jobs and more jobs,” the governor seeks to reconcile a projected $21 billion deficit over the next 18 months by cutting safety net programs that create and protect jobs. In addition, the proposed budget inappropriately juxtaposes economic growth against hard-fought environmental protections and public transit programs.
Women’s Advocacy Groups: Make Santa Cruz Safe
In the misty winter dusk outside the 7-Eleven at Ocean and Broadway streets, Ashley Russell lights a candle in remembrance of Nichole “Nikki” Schrock. It was inside the store, just a few hours into the new decade, when Schrock, an auburn-haired, 24-year-old mother, was gunned down during her morning shift as store clerk in what police are calling a murder-suicide. (Slide show included)
Heavy Mining Equipment Vandalized Near Davenport
The incident is the latest of a series of attacks on construction sites in the area, which began late last summer.
Water Problems Plague UCSC Expansion Plan
Has the Santa Cruz Water Department fully studied the implications of a proposed expansion of the UCSC campus? Some members of the county’s Board of Supervisors are not convinced it has.
267 Acres of Santa Cruz Redwoods Saved
The land consists of two parcels: one 107-acre area adjacent to the Skyline-to-the-Sea hiking trail, and another 160-acre area plot in San Mateo.
Santa Cruz Flips for Fungi
For weeks and months, the status of marijuana has been in the local news. For a welcome shift, attention this weekend switched to ‘shrooms, as Santa Cruz celebrated its Fungus Fair. Over 300 varieties of local fungus and mushrooms were on display at the event, but that’s just a tiny sliver of the 3,000-5,000 varieties available locally.
