Thomas Sawano
“Our Work Continues”: Hundreds Gather at Courthouse Steps to Remember George Floyd
How much has the world changed in a year? The question remained aloft as over 200 people gathered in front of the Santa Cruz Courthouse on the evening of May 25, the first anniversary of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police. The community gathering and…
Caltrans Clears Highway 1 and 9 Houseless Encampments Ahead of Widening Project
Residents of a houseless encampment alongside of the intersection of Highways 1 and 9 were told to pack up their belongings and leave by the morning of May 10, as Caltrans workers began a weeklong cleanup of the debris and belongings remaining at the site. …
New Executive Director to Lead Expansion of the Amah Mutsun Land Trust
“Growth,” a six-letter word to many a conservationist, isn’t the major goal you would expect from a nonprofit that stewards the land of North Central California. But when Raymond Hitchcock was selected as the Amah Mutsun Land Trust’s (AMLT) new executive director last month, growing…
How To Be A Better Journalist, According to David Hoffman
I was pretty nervous when I phoned David Hoffman last Thursday afternoon — to the point where I forgot to do all the things you’re supposed to when starting an interview: make small talk with the source, say a little on what your story’s about,…
How Do You Think Like Barry Sinervo?
Chris Garrison nearly got lost on the way to Lizard Land, Los Baños — the temporary home and habitual stomping grounds of renowned UC Santa Cruz reptile and amphibian biologist Barry Sinervo. “I was cracking up because he would always write these cryptic emails,” Garrison…
New Houseless Ordinance Clears First Council Reading, Awaits Final Approval
A new city ordinance that would ban outdoor overnight sleeping in much of Santa Cruz and tightly regulate it elsewhere cleared the Santa Cruz City Council’s initial readthrough this Tuesday, putting it on track to become law two weeks from now. “My understanding is this…
Large RVs No Longer Allowed on Olive Street 100 Block, City Council Decides
At the request of business and homeowners of a dead-end block adjacent to the Mission St. CVS, the Santa Cruz City Council voted Sept. 22 to reconfigure the parking arrangement on the 100 block of Olive Street — forcing individuals who park their large recreational…
Food Not Bombs Receives Notice to Vacate Front and Laurel
Volunteers of local meal aid organization Food Not Bombs (FNB) were greeted last Friday morning with a notice requiring them to vacate their current place of operations on the corner of Front and Laurel Street and move to a location on the other side of…
New Lab Brings COVID-19 Test Processing to UCSC
The UC Santa Cruz Molecular Diagnostic Lab opened its doors on May 1, becoming one of four facilities in Santa Cruz County capable of processing tests for COVID-19. The lab has the theoretical capacity to process upward of 800 COVID-19 test samples per day, though…
Amid Shortage, Psychology Department Opens Two New Senior Seminars
About 85 expectant psychology and cognitive science graduates were left unable to enroll in senior seminars for the spring 2020 quarter, after a Feb. 26 email announced that these courses received more applicants than the UC Santa Cruz psychology department prepared for. The department has…