Yes, she’s a real person; no, this isn’t her Luke Aton, a supervisor at Betty’s Eat Inn on Pacific Avenue, moved to Santa Cruz from the Midwest in 2011 and found a job right away. We sat down with with Aton, now a supervisor, to talk burgers, how to cope with the weather and his Green...

Get off on the good foot for 2015 with our guide to New Year’s Eve events Every year, New Year’s Eve brings a horde of locals and visitors to the streets of Downtown Santa Cruz, all of them ready to forget about the trials and tribulations of 2014 and usher in a new year of unlimited...

Nehal Abuelata’s Sweet HayaH has found its groove with an improbable but upbeat blend of styles Nehal Abuelata never set out to be a professional musician. In fact, she hadn’t even considered a career in music. But an experience singing for a Capoeira class at San Jose State University sparked a love of performing that led...

Incoming District 3 Supe Ryan Coonerty on North County’s future Santa Cruz County’s 3rd District stretches from the redwoods of Big Basin State Park to the city of Santa Cruz, creating a unique set of responsibilities and opportunities for its county supervisor. Unlike the other districts, a majority of District 3’s constituents live in the city...

Guitar. The closest thing I ever came to surfing was sliding down a rock hill. Charlie Tweddle, Santa Cruz, Hats and Music               Surfboard. Because I surf, I don’t play guitar. Stephanie Webb, Santa Cruz, Consultant             I think it takes a lot more passion...

At the opening celebration of the new Santa Clara Wine Trail in August, one of the wineries we visited was Fortino. This is where I first tasted their intriguing estate-grown Charbono—a varietal that is one of the rarest in California, with only 80 acres grown statewide. Charbono is a grape variety from the Savoie region of...

The painful process of coping with the loss of a pet Everyone told me the same thing when my 14-year-old standard poodle’s health started to go: “Don’t worry. She’ll tell you when it’s time. You’ll know.” It was hard to believe. Riley was great at telling me when she wanted to go to the beach (which...

Elections have a way of answering questions about a community’s priorities—or at least they’re bound to be interpreted that way. The Soquel Creek Water Board of Directors race last month would appear to be a perfect example. A slate of candidates, concerned about the board’s direction, campaigned on the impacts that intense conservation would have...

Iration Isla Vista, California, home to a sea of UCSB students, has a stellar reputation as a party town extraordinaire. And what does every party town need? Party bands, of course. Reggae-rock band Iration formed in IV in 2004 and has kept the party vibes flowing for the last 10-plus years. Sweetening the feel-good musical pot...

Over the pulse of keyboards and drums is a high-pitched wail: half screeching and half soaring, just a little bit jazzy, and altogether beautiful. It’s the vocals of musician Linsey Olsen, a former Santa Cruzan, fronting for the live hip-hop group Joomanji. “Even today, it still surprises me when I hear her sing,” says Joomanji drummer...