I am open to all kinds of people, and am willing to take in ideas. Sinjin Davis, Santa Cruz, Open Spirit           I work with low-income students in Watsonville public schools. I’m an art teacher and every day I work hard to bring up their self-esteem. Deirdre Barrett, Santa Cruz, Teacher  ...

The wine world is buzzing about this Pinot Gris Wine lovers are suddenly paying attention to Wargin Vineyards—and rightly so. The family-owned winery, with tasting rooms in Soquel and Watsonville, recently poured its 2013 Pinot Gris at a recent event, and comments from imbibers were all very positive. “What’s neat about this wine is that the...

Getting to the bottom of unanswered questions in the Madyson Middleton search It’s been almost two months ago now since the fliers were taken down. Paintings and songs have been created in her honor, and the feeling of immediacy that surrounded the memorial event for Madyson “Maddy” Middleton—with performances from James Durbin, Tess Dunn, Nick Gallant...

Win tickets to see Titus Andronicus at The Catalyst on SantaCruz.com  With a name taken from a Shakespearean tragedy, the band Titus Andronicus brings together elements of punk and indie to create melodic, thrash-along songs that sound part classic punk and part sea shanty. The New Jersey-based band’s latest offering, The Most Lamentable Tragedy, is a...

Cover bands have to be fun. That’s a rule guitarist-vocalist Jeff Ebbage sticks to in his group Fishhook, which plays covers spanning from the Who to Sublime. “We’re happy to play the court jester, if that’s what’s going to get people involved. If you’re all like, ‘I’m just too cool for this,’ it’s a hard sell,”...

Watsonville company brings mole to the masses Never buy tamales from the frozen food department at Costco. Good tamales require days to prepare correctly, otherwise forget it. The same is true of mole, the popular and flavorful Mexican sauce that will be celebrated this week at the Mole and Mariachi Festival (see page 49). When Watsonville...

Lily Tomlin tackles age with caustic zeal as ‘Grandma’ When some people of a certain age realize they’re old enough to be grandparents, they’re horrified. But they might feel better about the whole thing if they decided to abuse the privileges of age with as much snarky verve as Lily Tomlin in Grandma. As the caustic...

Uncovering the secrets of the art with a former winner of the Mole & Mariachi Festival cook-off It’s Sunday night and Leo Santana, who won the mole cook-off at the Mole & Mariachi Festival in 2013, is seated with us at a small round table in the center of his father’s namesake restaurant, Manuel’s. Sunday is...

Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds’ soul-singing frontwoman may be small, but her voice rattles the rafters Arleigh Kincheloe’s weathered voice, which cracks in and out when she laughs or talks excitedly, suits her music perfectly. As frontwoman of Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds, a horn-heavy seven-piece steeped in classic R&B and rock, Kincheloe gives...

Possible downtown overhaul centered around the Santa Cruz Metro Center continues taking shape Buses circulate on the ground floor of a large building between Pacific Avenue and Front Street. Outside, lining the street, an assortment of cafes and clothing stores bustle with shoppers. Above the street is a layer of parking, followed by story upon story...