More than 1,000 cities across the nation have applied to Google to be the first to test its hyperspeed fiber-optic network. Along the California Central Coast, a coalition of public and private interests from Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito counties are taking a different approach to obtaining high-speed Internet. They have submitted a $56 million grant for money from the $7.2 billion allocated to improving broadband access in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funding would go to install 112 miles of underground fiber and 200 miles of above-ground linking, making Internet speeds 10-100 times faster in the region than they currently are.
News
Ten Questions for Philippe Kahn
The Santa Cruz-based inventor of the phone camera gives up the goods on his hobbies, recently acquired wisdom and preference for simple foods.
Notes From the Aerophant
Thirty years ago Abdul Kareem bought a cheap five-acre piece of land in Kasaragod, in the Indian state of Kerala. People thought he was crazy; it was an arid, rocky wasteland, devoid of vegetation or water. But Abdul Kareem had an idea.
Scotts Valley Teachers Considering Furloughs
Eight high school teachers in Scotts Valley have received preliminary pink slips in an effort to shave $1.9 million off of the school board’s budget over the next two years.
Rail Line Purchase Passes Hurdle
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission voted unanimously to purchase the 32-mile Union Pacific rail line for $14.2 million.
Red Cross Starting to Consolidate
Only five people now work at the Santa Cruz branch of the Red Cross, located on Highway 1.
Interactive Crime Mapping in Santa Cruz
Wondering where all the crime is taking place in Santa Cruz? You can check it out on the new website being used by SCPD. The site offers an interactive map with icons for a wide range of crimes, ranging from fraud to breaking and entering, and from disturbing the peace to arson.
Check the Cash
Watsonville police have reported that someone has been passing out counterfeit bills in the city over the past few weeks.
Downtown Association Head to Take Family Name
Chip, the head of Santa Cruz’s Downtown Association, who famously goes by just one name, announced this morning that he will be taking on a family name, Smith. “It was a difficult decision,” he explained, “but one that had to be made. It was getting too tedious to explain that I had only one name, whenever I was asked about it.” Chip went on to explain that his rejection of his family name was an extension of his teenage angst well into his adult life. He said that he’s happy to be over it now, and wished that other single-name celebrities would follow his lead.
In Defense of Plastic Bags
Researchers and activists are taking to the sea to raise awareness about marine litter, often focusing on readily visible abandoned fishing nets and plastic litter that floats.
Everyone agrees that plastics don’t belong in our oceans. The primary question all of us—beachgoers, boaters, businesses, public officials—should ask ourselves is: how do we keep all types of litter out of our oceans in the first place?
