The writer and videographer for National Geographic tells us about her childhood heroes, her surfing plans and her new work with mountain lions.
News
Fire on The Mountain
Firefighters were called last night to put out a fire at the new McHenry Library. The building, which is under renovation, is slated to house the Grateful Dead archives, and some of the documents were already in the building. Nevertheless, university authorities say that the collection was not damaged in any way.
Two Dead in Family Spat
Two men are dead after a family spat ended with a shooting on Hutchinson Road, off Highway 35 near the summit.
County Superior Court Could Lose One-Quarter of Its Staff
Faced with a $2.3 million shortfall on its $18 million budget, the Santa Cruz County Superior Court is preparing to lay off between 20 and 30 of its employees by the end of this fiscal year on June 30. The total staff of the court is 140. The decision comes on top of a major restructuring effort announced two weeks ago.
Transportation Commission Eyeing King Street
The Transportation Commission has called on the city to study a bike-friendly King Street corridor.
Vets Hall to Cost $1.4 Million to Fix
First the good new: the Veterans Memorial Building can be repaired. Next the bad news: it will cost $1.4 million. This was the finding of a report by the Streeter Group Inc. of Soquel. The problems, according to the report, include fractured concrete columns in the auditorium and shaky soil beneath the foundation. It could pose a danger to people in the event of a significant earthquake. Repairs to the building could take anywhere from four to six months, but first the county will have to come up with the $1.4 million.
Santa Cruz Welcomes Its First Poet Laureate
Last year, when my friend Gary Young received the Poetry Society of America’s Shelley Memorial Award, given annually to a “mid-career” poet, I couldn’t help wondering why the PSA had named such a prize after a poet (the English Romantic Percy Bysshe Shelley) who had died at age 29. Shelley was a reckless genius, famous not only for his passionate verse but for his revolutionary politics and scandalous conduct, who drowned in a boating accident off the coast of Italy.
Reclaiming The Flag
A couple months ago, I opened an unexpected package from a parishioner serving now in the Persian Gulf. It was an American flag, folded neatly, an expression of her gratitude. The certificate said she’d flown it in a combat mission over Iraq on Christmas Day, 2009.
Supes Order Review of Plastic Bag Ban
Santa Cruz County lawmakers are one step closer to banning plastic shopping bags from stores. On Tuesday, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to ban plastic shopping bags and impose a 10-cent fee on paper bags. The actual ban, however, may take another year to impose as county leaders ordered a full environmental review of the plan before they enforce it.
Search for Deputy Police Chief Underway
Santa Cruz is looking for a new deputy police chief, and three officers have already applied, even though the new position pays $10,000 less than the last deputy police chief earned.
