When Dotti McKnight left her job at the Shadowbrook restaurant in Capitola, she thought a commissary job at Dominican Hospital would be enough to support her and her husband. That was 2003.
Blackbird Raum: Santa Cruz Radicals
In the mid-2000s, Blackbird Raum unexpectedly took Santa Cruz by storm. Rising up out of a community of squatters and travelers in 2004, they were set up like a folk-jug ensemble, but played with the intensity and political leanings of an anarchist crust punk band.
The Truth About Hangovers
One drink to remember, another to forget. And the next thing you know, you’re waking up on a floor somewhere at 2 p.m., with a crinkled Taco Bell wrapper in your pocket and no recollection of how it or you got there.
Weekends at the Buttery
Lively and—given the weather—getting livelier each week. Not only does the Buttery make some of the best coffee in town, it also puts my taste buds in touch with the amazing and always addictive Zucchini Muffin.
Letters to the Editor: April 17-23
Readers tackle the larger issues behind homelessness, violence and drug addiction.
Jewish Film Festival Comes of Age
Mazel tov, y’all! This year marks the 13th anniversary of the Santa Cruz Jewish Film Festival, and everyone is invited to the party. But instead of a pubescent voice squeaking out the Torah, audiences are being treated to top quality movies and documentaries presented at a variety of venues around town.
Santa Cruz’s Spring Menus
Choice selections, from seasonal eating to spirits.
Shhh, It’s the Secret Film Festival
Fans of The Walking Dead will appreciate the scene outside the Del Mar next Sunday, around noon. That’s when the 12-hour Secret Film Festival will finally grind to a halt, spitting out a couple hundred bleary-eyed film fans who have just seen a marathon of films, without knowing in advance what even one of them was going to be.
Local Conference to Educate on Alzheimer’s
Approximately 5.4 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s disease, the vast majority 65 years and older. But this is only the beginning—a rising life expectancy rate, combined with an enormous population of baby boomers, will balloon that number to nearly 16 million by 2050, according to figures from the Alzheimer’s Association.
Busting the Mental Illness Myths
When the voices first came to Adrian Bernard, they came in groups. Eleven years ago, those voices kept Bernard awake for five days on end, sitting up on his bed, listening to their songs and doing nothing else. He says it felt like his legs were stretched from one room of the apartment to the next.
