The SCPD is searching for a man who robbed the Mission Street branch of the Comerica Bank on Wednesday afternoon
Articles by Danny Wool
Dropout Rate Climbing in Santa Cruz County
Let’s face it. The U.S. is competing with China, and we’re not doing as well as we used to. The Paris-based Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development released its 2009 Program for International Student Assessment on Tuesday and the news is grim for America. While 15-year-olds in Shanghai China ranked top in the world, beating even that stalwart educational powerhouse Singapore, kids in the U.S. didn’t fare too well. They ranked 25th in math and 17th in science among 34 countries. “This should be a massive wake-up call to the entire country,” said Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
Sheriff Under Scrutiny in Hiker Incident
Debra Collins is safe and recovering from her six traumatic days in the woods. Now attention is turning to the Sheriff’s Department, which did not launch a search for her. She was eventually found by a neighbor and his son, who followed a route she liked to run in the Fall Creek unit of the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. The Sheriff’s Office reportedly asked State Parks rangers to search only one of her favorite running routes, in the main part of Henry Cowell, saying at the time there is little likelihood of finding a missing person by conducting random searches over a large area. Today the Sentinel reports that Chief Deputy Don Bradley said, “Having the luxury of hindsight, we would get our search and rescue director involved earlier.”
Ainsworth to Be Charged with Attempted Murder
Maurice Ainsworth, who attempted to escape from prison during a medical procedure last week, will be charged with attempted murder for shots he fired during his escape attempt.
Felton Woman Found Alive
Debra Collins, 58, was found alive by neighbors in the Santa Cruz Mountains early Saturday morning, Dec. 4. She had left her Felton home on Nov. 28 to go for a run and was reported missing on Nov. 30. A neighbor and his son who saw the fliers reporting her missing set out on a search for her and found her in a ravine in Fall Creek State Park.
How Green Is Your Sidewalk?
Everyone knows the generation of electricity is the largest source of greenhouse gases. What fewer people know is that the runner-up is cement. On average, the amount of CO2 emitted by the cement industry is nearly 900 kg of CO2 for every 1000 kg of cement produced. If you consider how much cement is out there, you start to wonder how it isn’t number one. The CO2 emissions have two main sources: 40 percent comes from burning fuel used in the manufacture of cement, and 50 percent comes from the chemical process used to actually create it.
Watsonville Factories Offer Holiday Bargains
Shoppers across Santa Cruz County will be heading to Watsonville this Saturday for the annual Holiday Factory Sale. It’s the only time of the year that the many diverse factories in town open their doors to the general public, and there are sure to be bargains a-plenty. It’s also a chance to get to know about local industry and how it helps the economy.
Ainsworth Back in County Jail
Maurice Ainsworth woke up behind bars again this morning at the Santa Cruz County Jail.
Marking the Un-Holiday
It’s Chanukah today and Christmas is right around the corner. Downtown Santa Cruz can expect to see the usual collection of decorated trees and burning menorahs lighting up the downtown area. This year, however, there may be one noticeable addition. At Saturday’s holiday season parade, a coalition of the Santa Cruz Brights, UCSC Secular Student Alliance and Secular Humanists of Santa Cruz County will be marching alongside their religious neighbors with a banner that reads: “Reason’s Greetings!” They hope to display the banner prominently downtown and are hoping to get a permit for it.
No Knee-Jerk Reactions to Prisoner’s Escape
Sheriff Phil Wowak says that the county plans to review its procedures following the escape of prisoner Maurice Ainsworth during a medical procedure on Monday.
