A pickup truck belonging to Elias Sorokin has been found on Empire Grade Road, but the Los Angeles man himself is still missing. Sorokin was last heard from in Oakland early last week, when he texted to friends that he would be back home in a few hours. Since then, a couple tried to use his credit card at the Target store in Watsonville and a woman tried to cash a one of Sorokin’s personal checks in a bank in Santa Cruz.
News
‘Midtown’ Santa Cruz: Fact or Fiction?
We’ve heard enough longtime locals sneer at the newish term “midtown”—most commonly used to describe the section of Soquel Avenue between Shoppers Corner and the Rio Theatre—to make us wonder where it came from and who uses it. Bill Tysseling, executive director of the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce, doesn’t. But the guy who answered the phone at the Bagelry does. In fact, he says he’s been using the term for five or six years.
Shakespeare Santa Cruz Glows in ‘Midsummer’
Rarely has such a tortured plot been so clearly articulated. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of Shakespeare’s most popular offerings, explores the elaborate mistaken-identity twists that Elizabethan audiences adored. Three mortal couples—Duke Theseus of Athens and his Amazon bride-to-be, plus two sets of love-struck (but not with each other) mortals—find themselves in a wooded dreamscape rife with fairy mischief. In bravura fashion, Shakespeare adds yet another layer of play-within-a-play complexity in a sextet of rough Athenian workmen rehearsing a play they intend to perform in honor of the Duke’s upcoming wedding. Meanwhile, Titania and Oberon, king and queen of the fairies, are quarrelling over custody of a pretty Indian baby.
Californians’ Eco-Zeal on The Wane
As the economy dips, so does support among Californians for policies that curb global warming, according to the most recent Public Policy Institute of California survey. While a majority still believe it’s important to reduce greenhouse gases, the survey, Californians and the Environment, indicates that support for AB 32—the 2006 law that requires emissions be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020—has declined seven points since last year.
New Approach to Food at Santa Cruz Schools
Santa Cruz city schools are preparing to make the transition to a healthier diet.
Was Marijuana Trafficking behind Missing Man’s Disappearance?
Elias Sorokin, a Los Angeles man who went missing last week, may have been involved in the distribution of pot, according to Santa Cruz Police Captain Steve Clark.
Stimulus Money to Fund Santa Cruz Cops
CNN reports that $1 billion of federal stimulus money will be used to support law enforcement agencies across the country. Some of that money will be used in Santa Cruz County, to keep local cops on the beat.
Nothing Calming about Circle
Residents of Monterey Vista Mobile Estates on Holm Road, Watsonville, are up in arms over a traffic circle designed to “calm traffic” on the road.
Parks Department Not Out of the Woods Yet
The California budget crisis dealt the state parks system a new blow today when the governor vetoed an addition $6.2 million in funding, which will probably lead to the closure of at least 100 parks. According to the new budget, the state is cutting a total of $22.2 million from the parks budget. “It’s frustrating that the governor chose to make these additional cuts, despite the fact that our state parks are economic generators for Santa Cruz County and the state,” says Bonny Hawley, executive director of Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, “an important fact as we continue to plumb the bottom of the Great Recession.
Santa Cruz Coho Researcher Responds to Critics
A recent article and several letters have appeared in the Santa Cruz Weekly regarding coho salmon, local and statewide forestry practices and pending policy changes, along with a quote from myself and comments about data collected by research that I and others conduct in the Scott Creek watershed. These articles have raised several issues that would benefit from clarification.
