Three Years Later, Fentanyl Crisis Persists
Content Warning: The following article contains descriptions of excessive and deadly drug usage — specifically fentanyl and heroin. From five deaths in 2019 to 65 deaths in 2022, the number of fentanyl-related deaths has steadily climbed in Santa Cruz County since 2020. The County’s fentanyl...
Is the “Better FAFSA” Really Better?
The 2024-25 Federal Aid Financial Student Association (FAFSA) form process has implemented a major redesign for the first time in over 40 years. Also called the “Better FAFSA”, this redesign includes changes to the form itself, the eligibility calculation, and how students and families will...
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife Lifts Crab Season Delay
Every year during Dungeness crab season, fishermen set out at dawn to cast their traps into the ocean. These crab traps, composed of large cages that sink to the floor, are connected to buoys that remain on the water’s surface. They are left for hours...
Stray Population Influx Strains Resources for Santa Cruz County Animal Shelters
In 2023, Santa Cruz County animal shelters experienced a 23 percent increase in animal intake, with a 56 percent rise overall in the last two years. This jump called local communities and organizations to action to support animals in need. Adoptable “Prescilla” located at Santa...
A Look Inside Santa Cruz County Main Jail
The only sunlight that penetrates the concrete walls of Santa Cruz County Main Jail seeps past a ceiling of barbed wire and metal into the exercise yard. If they’re lucky and the weather is just right, incarcerated people in the general population can spend at...
Activists Unite in Weeklong Global Strike for Palestine
On one of the first warm days of the year, families flocked towards the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Sticky-fingered children grabbed arcade controllers. Spilled popcorn and candy wrappers littered the ground. But unlike any other day, a chant could be heard in the distance with...
Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties Face Ongoing Lawsuit From Pajaro Valley Residents After Levee Failure
Flooding in Pajaro Valley during storms has turned into a disastrous routine. When the levee fails, agricultural areas are disheveled and submerged. Homes are evacuated to avoid the unlivable conditions that follow. In the wake of last spring’s disaster, Pajaro Valley residents are once again...
Not Cold Enough: Santa Cruz Cold Weather Shelters Open Temporarily, Close Soon After
Xan walks along damp train tracks on the side of Depot Park. It’s 7:30 p.m. and the sun has long set in Santa Cruz. Dark clouds hint at heavy rainfall predicted for that night. She stops under the overhang of a rusted bridge and talks...
Santa Cruz City Council Rejects Ceasefire Resolution, Passes Alternate Peace Resolution
Hours before the meeting began, people gathered in the square of City Hall. Many held signs, with messages including, “Ceasefire now,” and “All children are our children — Stop Genocide.” The line for public comment wrapped around the Santa Cruz City Hall and extended down...
A New Vision For Downtown
The face of downtown Santa Cruz could soon dramatically change. The City Of Santa Cruz began developing the Downtown Plan Expansion in June 2021 and is now in the late stages of planning. If fully approved, it will extend the boundaries of downtown south toward...