“I can tell just by looking at this that this is cocaine,” says senior criminalist Meghan Kinney. She’s pointing to a computer readout of numbered lines, each corresponding to different chemicals found in a sample that’s just gone through the gas chromatography-mass spectrometer at the Freedom Crime Laboratory in Watsonville.
Articles by Jessica Lussenhop
Watsonville Passes Final Budget, With One Surprise
At the final city council meeting on Watsonville’s budget Tuesday night, city staff managed to pull off a small miracle, to the surprise and delight of many of the assembled nonprofits.
Santa Cruz Hardbodies Go Bicep-a-Bicep
“Guys,” calls out Kelvin Fountano, president of the World Body & Fitness Association. “Make sure when you go onstage your wear your number on your left side.” Left side, on the left. The words ripple through the dimly lit Rio Theatre auditorium as family members and trainers fuss over bodybuilders of all sizes at Saturday’s Santa Cruz Bodybuilding and Figure Championships in Seabright. “This isn’t one of our biggest events,” says Fountano. “But it’s one of our funnest.
Protesters Demand End to Corporate Loopholes
Under the punishing rays of the late afternoon sun yesterday, Supervisor Neal Coonerty stood outside the Chevron gas station at Ocean and Soquel in a full suit and blew off steam from another long day of budget decisions by waving a small sign to passing cars that read “Families First.”
Dueling Festivals Make A Mess
As Watsonville prepares for not one but two strawberry festivals after a bizarre falling out between city officials and Modesto-based festival promoter Leslie Peterson, residents, nonprofits and local businesses are left puzzling out the aftermath.
Undaunted, Man Tries for Second Photo Shoot Record
Virgil E. Robinson, a sporty, boyish-looking 42-year-old in a matching “Possibility Advocate” cap and long sleeve T-shirt, sits across from Hannah*, a recent divorcee who has been slowly losing control of her mortgage.
At Last, A Venue for Canine Film Fans
In honor of Doggie Drive-In’s film selection of the month, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, the Crepe Place was offering $3 well margaritas to the small gathering of Woofers & Walkers members assembled on the patio.
Santa Cruz is Country’s No. 1 Surf Spot. Duh.
How do local surfers feel about Surfer Magazine naming Santa Cruz the number one surf spot in the country?
Santa Cruz AIDS Projects Faces Massive Cuts
Last Friday at the open house for Santa Cruz AIDS Project’s brand new offices, staff and guests were all smiles, congratulations and thank-you’s over the renovation of 313 Front Street. But the truth behind the move was never far from the surface.
Watsonville Heads for Four-Day Work Week
It’s been a little over a week since Watsonville’s city council approved a series of tentative agreements that will whack the city employees’ work week down to four nine-hour days, creating an overall 10 percent reduction in cost to the general fund and a service blackout one day per week, likely Fridays.
