Cover: Unkindest Cuts
After holding a chainsaw to California's throat for a dozen years, Maxxam Corporation will get a payoff of half a billion dollars.

Tech Support: Local musician Bob Burnett 'Loops' it up on his new album.

Bob Mould's Dü Point: Bob Mould evokes Hüsker's halcyon days with Last Dog and Pony Show.

Notes From The Underground: Fury 66 and others make Palookaville a punk-rock haven.

Managua Trois: Ken Loach's Carla's Song looks back at romance in the time of the Contras.

Pickled Drama: Breeding counts in Polish Wedding--the more babies the better.

Pearls Before Wine: Downtown Santa Cruz's most enduring bistro continues to do its artistic best.

Please don't forget to write! Metro Santa Cruz welcomes letters. Like any great work of art, they should be originals -- not copies of letters sent elsewhere. Include address and daytime phone (for verification purposes only). Letters may be edited for length and clarity or to correct factual inaccuracies known to us. Postal: Metro Santa Cruz Letters, 111 Union St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Fax: 831/457-5828. Email:

JavaScript must be enabled to display this email address.