Whenever there are budget cuts, higher education is inevitably one of the first victims. UCSC alone is expected to face $31 million in budget cuts during the 2011-2012 academic year, and tuition is slated to go up again, for a total increase of 40 percent since 2009-2010. This is posing an increasing burden on the students, and some end up leaving school with debts running into six figures. That’s even before they start having a job, a family, a mortgage, and kids, who will inevitably want to go to college too.
Articles by Danny Wool
James Durbin Spoiler Alert
By now you should know that local boy James Durban will be back on the teevee box tonight, competing for a place in rock history. The scarves are back from the dry cleaners, the gel is hardening in his hair, and the bandana … well, that is gone for the evening, replaced with about a dozen silver bangles on his right arm. So what should we expect for tonight?
UCSC’s School of Engineering Gets A Boost
Technical innovation is the future, as President Obama constantly reminds us. UCSC will play a big part in that future, thanks to a $1 million gift by Jack and Peggy Downes Baskin to the School of Engineering—a school, it should be noted, which already bears Jack Baskin’s name. The endowment will allow graduate students to go for a PhD in engineering at the school. It will cover the costs of two students per year, says Dean Arthur Ramirez.
Stabbing in Watsonville
A stabbing occurred in an alleyway off of Main Street in Watsonville on Sunday, leaving the victim with life-threatening injuries. The victim, a 19-year-old man, was taken to a Bay Area hospital.
Santa Cruz Snow Makes Brief Appearance
It snowed in the Santa Cruz Mountains this weekend down to about 1,000 feet, but if you didn’t act quickly, you would hardly have known it. It started at about 2:30am on Saturday and got up to about one-quarter of an inch. The sun rose over snow-capped mountains, but by 8:30am the precipitation had stopped, the temperatures rose, and the pristine whiteness began to fade.
James Durbin Makes It Through
American Idol was painful last night, or at least the first 90 minutes of it was. It took that long for James Durbin to make an appearance, and even then, he was barely recognizable. But more about that in a moment.
Bundle Up, Santa Cruz!
Dig deep in your closets and pull out all your sweaters, scarves and gloves. The Bay Area is about to be hit with a cold blast the likes of which haven’t been seen since Gerald Ford was president and people talking about “the War” meant Vietnam. Temperatures could plummet into the 20s, and big white flakes of heavenly dandruff could blanket elevations above 500 feet. The Santa Cruz Mountains and even Los Gatos could get more than just a powdering, though most of the snow will accumulate on Mount Hamilton, which could as much as 6 inches.
Sgt Jojo Durbin
It was Beatles Night last night on American Idol, and that’s easy pickings for James Durbin. After all, the fabric store raider has made quite an impression with his appearances with the White Album Ensemble.
Tea Company Moving to New Jersey
The Good Earth Tea Company, which once employed 60 people in Santa Cruz, has shuttered its doors and is moving to New Jersey. The company ceased production last month, and is now shipping its equipment across the country and selling off what it no longer wants.
150 Roosters Seized in Cockfighting Raid
Police raided a cockfighting operation in Royal Oaks, outside of Aromas. The fights were taking place at a local residence. Also seized during the raid were spurs and other equipment designed to turn the roosters into lethal killing machines. Francisco Tapia, 41, was arrested at the scene, and seven other men were cited.
