It occurred to Good Neighbor Policy’s Chris and Pat (who only use their first names, like all good neighbors) that instead of hanging out and drinking beer, they could gather up some buddies and turn their drinking sessions into punk rock sessions. A Santa Cruz band was born that day, a little over a decade ago. ...

PLAY ON Santa Cruz Shakespeare Artistic Director Mike Ryan remembers walking into a pet store in San Carlos not too long ago to pick up some treats for his dog. When the clerk asked him where he was from, he said “Santa Cruz.” “She said ‘You know, they used to have the most wonderful Shakespeare festival...

Terrific acting highlights in James Marsh’s gripping Hawking bio ‘The Theory of Everything’ Stephen Hawking is one of the most famous and admired figures in the world. A brilliant mathematician, cosmologist, and researcher into the relativity of space and time, he’s a university professor, a popular guest on the lecture circuit, and the author of many...

I was just in the process of purchasing a bottle of Big Basin’s 2012 Homestead in Vinocruz when Matt Ryan walked into the store. Ryan manages the tasting room, sales and the mailing list at Big Basin, and, considering the popularity of their wines, he’s a very busy man. “Oh, that’s a good one,” he says...

The glory of persimmons, plus Ivéta scone mix and lunch at Assembly For sheer eye-appeal nothing quite matches the beauty of persimmons hanging from autumn trees like so many vermillion lanterns. Fascinating to behold, the satin-skinned fruit (the official fruit of Japan, mind you) can be perplexing to approach. The super hard, elongated, deep orange-colored Hachiya...

CHP introduces the county’s first license plate reader Santa Cruz activists concerned about government surveillance held community meetings this past summer to learn more about the possibility of automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras in Santa Cruz. What they didn’t realize was that the technology was being installed where they weren’t looking. Santa Cruz County California...

Local chocolate maker talks chocolate and self control In the chocolate biz since 2004, Jennifer Ashby’s consuming passion for making high-end artisan confections knows no bounds. She wants to create exquisite-looking chocs made from real food—and that means fresh cream, real butter and the best Swiss Grand Cru chocolate. Ashby also finds a way to use...

Justin Ringle’s band Horse Feathers gets downright upbeat on new album Northern Idaho is not exactly a cultural hotbed. For Justin Ringle, growing up there offered two options: get into four-wheeling, trucks and hunting, or come up with some other way to spend his time. The singer-songwriter behind the band Horse Feathers chose the latter. “Music...

Shannon Cullem-Chipman’s wild life helps her bring ‘Nutcracker’ to life When Shannon Cullem-Chipman was 15 years old, she was hit by a truck. While pretending to fly across a street at Opal Cliffs, she was pulled under a speeding pickup, Afterward, she did what all devoted dancers would do—she got up, dusted herself off and went...

Project 180 ups ambitious goals to house homeless After many years of struggling through bouts of homelessness, Cindy Peck felt like she’d won the lottery when volunteers with the 180/180 initiative helped her find and move into an apartment in June. For more than a year before that she had been living out of her car....