The proposed 22-mile rail/trail from Watsonville to Natural Bridges will cost an estimated $4.3 billion to build and as much as $41 million a year to operate, according to a new study released by the Regional Transportation Commission—figures more than four times the estimated costs released in 2022 during the campaign in which voters approved the concept with 70 percent of the vote. The RTC originally bought the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line from Union Pacific in 2012 for $14.2 million. Public meetings were held last Monday and Thursday to go over a draft report released June 6, in which it listed the costs and estimated ridership of 3,500-6,000 passenger…
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Miracles Santa Cruz Transforms Lives and Builds Community Through Theater
In Santa Cruz, a uniquely joyful and heartfelt theater troupe has taken root, transforming lives through performance and community: Miracles Santa Cruz. This ensemble of performers with special needs shares more than a stage—they share a passion for storytelling, song, and self-expression. Founded on the belief that everyone deserves the spotlight, Miracles Santa Cruz brings creativity and inclusion to life. Roots in Innovation: The Hope Services Connection The troupe’s origins date back to a visionary program launched in 2009 by Mike Nichols at Hope Services: the Community Membership and Media Program. At its core, the program emphasized media and performing arts, offering creative writing and arts classes from the beginning.…
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James Durbin Rocks Santa Cruz and Beyond
In mid-June, Santa Cruz-born musician, James Durbin, kicked off his “All Over the Place” summer tour. The tour takes place throughout Santa Cruz County, with shows in Santa Clara and Sacramento counties, as well. The title also sums up the 36-year-old musician’s life so far–as a singer and guitarist who has played in numerous bands–spanning multiple genres–and toured in many countries Durbin first garnered national attention in 2011 when he finished in fourth place on American Idol, performing classic rock staples from the likes of Queen and The Beatles. However, his love for onstage performance began years earlier, when he got involved with youth theater programs in Santa Cruz. During…
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The Santa Cruz Effect
Have you ever wondered if a place can dictate your style? Here are four individuals from all over who wound up in our little town, one way or another. Every one of these characters has fantastic flair. Whether it is in correlation to our town’s influence or not. Some of these individuals attributed their poise to the town and people in it, while others disagreed. Even though the town may not be a direct influence on others, it could be a haven to those who embrace creativity and idiosyncrasy. Santa Cruz has a great selection of thrifted clothes, along with one-of-a-kind people with fantastic energy. The beauty of our town…
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Prepping Your Pet for Summer Travel
My partner and I are both educators, and July offers us a wonderful respite, a chance to change the scenery and spend more time outdoors asking questions than answering them. Because we’re away for weeks at a time, we bring our dog. He travels moderately well. He’ll stretch out in the back seat and endure long stretches on the road without complaint. He maintains a reliable bathroom schedule. If our trips consisted solely of driving, he’d be a dream. But they do not. We stay in hotels. And our dog, Ethan, is not okay with the sounds that other people make while we’re trying to sleep. (To anyone who’s shared…
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Henry Cowell Campground Reopening Delayed
California State Parks announced that the seasonal campground at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park (SP), which had been scheduled to reopen Aug. 1 following renovations, has been delayed until the 2026 camping season. Significant supply chain disruptions pushed back the completion of essential infrastructure upgrades, including accessibility features. “We will continue to work diligently with contractors to complete these essential upgrades and appreciate the patience and understanding of all our visitors as we improve the park’s facilities” said Santa Cruz District Superintendent II Scott Sipes. “We truly value the opportunity to provide quality camping opportunities for visitors to make memories and enjoy our beautiful parks and are disheartened to share…
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To Drink or Not to Drink: The Truth About Prebiotic Soda
The buzz on prebiotic soda; should you be drinking it? Recently, I was browsing the aisles at Staff of Life when I overheard a mom ask her son, “Why are these Poppi drinks so popular?” The boy, maybe 12 years old, had no clue. But I did. I managed to resist my inner Italian buttinsky—but I was dying to chime in: “Because they’re a low-sugar, prebiotic (aka healthy!) alternative to soda!” Later the moment stuck with me. Are people really buying into these buzzy beverages for the health benefits of prebiotics? Or is it just about sipping something that tastes like soda but feels better for you? As a fan…
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It’s All Fun and Games for Local Designer
Do you love playing games and meeting new people? Have you ever met a board game or card game creator? Well, here’s your chance! The Golden Gate Gamemakers are opening a local tabletop gaming chapter in Santa Cruz. Originating in the Bay Area, GGG has created a safe, fun space for board gamers of all ages and skill levels to come together and enjoy gaming. Whether you’re an aspiring game designer wanting to test new games, an experienced tabletop enjoyer, or someone brand new to the gaming world, the GGG is for you. Growing Up: What are the Golden Gate Gamemakers? Why was it created? Courtney Laschkewitsch: The GGG is…
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Falling in Love for the First Time
One of the true joys of volunteering at the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is witnessing the moment a person falls in love. It happens almost every day. A potential adopter walks in, scanning faces covered in fur, and then it happens. Their whole body changes. You can see it in their shoulders, their eyes, their stillness. They’ve just found their animal. Like falling in love with a person, this moment doesn’t come out of nowhere. Most adopters have been circling the idea for a while. They’ve talked about it at dinner, followed the shelter’s social media, and imagined where the bed or litter box might go. They’ve thought about…
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New Ice Cream Shop in Live Oak Features Fresh, Unique Mexican Flavors
In the world of food, there are some classic combinations that have stood the test of time…peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, coffee and donuts and wine and cheese. The owners of El Jardin in the Live Oak neighborhood of Santa Cruz want to add another great pairing to that list: Mexican food and ice cream. El Jardin has been serving award-winning Mexican cuisine to Santa Cruz families for 16 years. The current owners, Manuel “Manny” and Jerry Rangel, have each worked at the restaurant since the early days, starting as busboys and dishwashers and moving up to become wait-staff and eventually managers. In 2017, they were given the…
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Meals Without Meltdowns: A Parent’s Guide to Dining Out with Kids in Santa Cruz
I remember a heavy conversation with my then 4-year-old son in a restaurant where we watched pelicans hunting fish. Fish eat worms and bugs, I explained. Then birds eat the fish. Then bigger birds or sharks eat those birds and then other predators eat those animals. “It’s a good thing we don’t eat animals,” he replied. “We eat food.” A kick under the table from his mother told me not to get into the details, so I kept quiet for a while. Eventually, I continued up the food chain and today, although he hates the idea of killing animals, he eats meat because, as he explains, “We are animals and…
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La Manzana’s Summer Lunch Program Returns
The annual Summer Lunch program, sponsored by La Manzana Community Resources (LMCR), a program of Community Bridges’ Family Resource Collective, will kick off on June 9. Kids 18 and younger can pick up a free lunch at various sites in Santa Cruz and Watsonville through early-August. Most Watsonville sites will distribute lunches through August 8. Through Community Bridges, the Summer Lunch program has served 20,000 meals over the last three years, helping combat local childhood hunger and its harmful impacts on the area’s youngest residents. When school districts close for the summer many students who are not attending ongoing educational programs miss out on what sometimes is their only complete…
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Strawberry Season in Santa Cruz is the Berry Best Time of Year
In Santa Cruz, strawberries are practically part of the scenery—we’re surrounded by some of the biggest berry farms in the country. But even with berries in stores year-round, there’s something extra magical about local, in-season strawberries. The kind you find at the farmers market or roadside stands in June? Juicy, ruby-red, sun-sweetened perfection. And guess what? These little fruits aren’t just tasty—they’re bursting with nutrition. One cup of strawberries has just 46 calories, 3 grams of fiber, and a solid helping of vitamin C, manganese, and folate. Basically, they’re nature’s candy—with benefits! Strawberries are a kid favorite for a reason—they’re sweet, snackable, and perfect for everything from lunchboxes to smoothies.…
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Power Dynamics in Parenting: A Kinder, Stronger Way Forward
Whether we recognize it or not, power is at play in every interaction between people. Eve Trook wrote about power dynamics between teachers and children in the early 80s. The work was groundbreaking, and to this day, when I present it, I see lots of light bulbs going off over people’s heads, so I thought I’d share it with you today! She offers that there are different types of power and that power is not positive or negative in and of itself. Power On Power On is power that takes away another person’s choice. Parents need this type of power, for example, when their child runs out into the street,…
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3rd Annual VegFest Comes to the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds
Santa Cruz VegFest is a local event celebrating plant-based, cruelty-free, animal friendly, as well as, an environmentally sustainable lifestyle. Now in its third year, Santa Cruz VegFest outgrew the Cocoanut Grove in 2024, and is currently located inside the sprawling Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. There will be a gleaming fleet of food trucks, more than a hundred food and craft vendors, bands, speakers and comedians. Also, Santa Cruz VegFest is family-friendly, and it’s 100% vegan. VegFest is run by Little Hill Sanctuary, a non-profit “that seeks to create a more kind world through rescuing and protecting animals from cruelty, providing them with sanctuary and compassionate care, and combating speciesism through…
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The Adventures of a Kitten Foster Family
“Oh, I’d want to keep them all.” This tenderhearted response is the most common one I get when I tell people that I foster kittens for the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter. I just smile, saying that my husband and I call ourselves The Mackenzie Finishing School for Felines. We enroll a new class, help them grow in all the ways, they graduate and go on to their new forever lives, and then we get some more! I’ve been known to bring kittens back and take new ones home the same day, earning me the title of ‘The Kitten Flipper.’ My experience with fostering has been with the SCCAS, so…
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Breaking Up With Amazon
Ending a relationship is never easy, but in this case the reason was undeniable. Right there in black and white. Line after line after line (after line!) on my Visa statement. It was time to break up with Amazon. No one said this was going to be easy. Amazon can be an addiction: the convenience, the returns, the anonymity. But there must be a better way. But who would I start seeing instead? Wanting to keep things light, I fooled around a little with Facebook Marketplace. At first, that seemed to have decent potential. But it’s weird how quickly it starts to feel like a dating app. And not in…
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Can We Stop Bullying in Schools?
We all watched the bully in junior high school. But imagine that you are the younger, or the smaller, or the less assertive one. Or maybe you’re the neurodivergent kid, or you are gay, or you speak with a French accent. Somehow, you are different. You start getting tripped in the hallway, your books are knocked out of your hands, chocolate milk is poured down your shirt while dozens of kids howl with laughter and gather around the bully, clapping him on the back. You’re called harsher and harsher names, your bicycle is wrecked, kids throughout the school smirk as you pass by. Your bully convinces you that he wants…
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Spring’s Spiky Treasure: Why It’s Time to Love Artichokes
Spring’s Spiky Treasure: Why It’s Time to Love Artichokes May is peak artichoke season here in Santa Cruz — and all along the Central Coast. Just a short drive down Highway 1, you’ll find Castroville, the proud Artichoke Capital of the World, where these quirky green globes grow in abundance. This is when the harvest is in full swing, and the local markets are overflowing. At first glance, artichokes might not scream kid-friendly. They look a bit like alien pine cones with an attitude. But looks can be deceiving. Once cooked, their soft, mild flavor and tender leaves make them surprisingly versatile — great as a side dish, a salad…
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Democracy Begins At Home
In Solidarity, Compassion and Action We’d like to acknowledge that many of us feel scared, angry, overwhelmed, and powerless in the wake of political decisions that threaten people, institutions, and our democracy. While no easy solution exists, it may be helpful to remember to “think globally; act locally” and to “be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Along those lines, also remember that Positive Discipline isn’t just a parenting methodology; it’s a global organization practiced in more than 90 countries worldwide, and it’s a social change organization strengthening democracy through the development of respectful relationships. The Parenting Styles We Inherited Parents are their children’s first teachers,…
