The mural that's on River Street by the town clock that has the dog and the guy with the liberty spikes and the person in the wheelchair all holding hands and skipping. Perry HernandezSanta Cruz | Network Engineer       The artwork that they do on the electrical boxes. Those are beautiful! Sarah MagdalenoSanta...

Bridget Heny’s printmaking metaphysics Madonnas and hangmen, lilies and hunters, drowning maidens and con artists—such archetypal imagery saturates the woodcut prints made by Bridget Henry. Her themes seem channeled from dreams. Or inspired by the coastal setting of her studio. A loose collection of vintage buildings, Campo Verde lies between artichoke fields and the ocean. Romantically...

New spot brings ramen noodles to Pleasure Point  Ramen noodle houses aren’t exactly Santa Cruz’s culinary strength, which is precisely why former Burlingame Ramen Club owner Kaji Goto thought it would be a good idea to start one here. Kaito—which serves not only ramen, but also curry, sushi, Japanese tapas and something he calls “sushi tapas”—opened...

Sparkling Rose of Sangiovese 2010 The Fourth of July is just around the corner, so it’s time to get out the bunting and plan the festivities. And what could be better than celebrating with a drop of the old bubbly? This is where Odonata Wines comes in. Their pretty pink “sparkler” is fun and festive, and...

Witty pessimist Gore Vidal profiled in documentary 'United States of Amnesia' Despite his demeanor as a patrician observer, Gore Vidal was a political insider from a very young age. Growing up in the Washington, D.C. household of his grandfather, Thomas Gore, the blind U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, young Vidal read him all the daily newspapers. Later,...

World-music legend Angélique Kidjo performs at the Rio on the heels of a new album and book Angélique Kidjo is a legend in the world-music scene. The passionate singer and dancer has released a dozen albums, including this year’s Eve, won numerous international awards and honorary degrees, and had her music featured in mainstream films and...

Size Matters Where were the campaign commercials for the June 3 election? Not on Santa Cruz televisions, that’s for sure. And the reason appears to be that our local TV market is too big, extending down to Monterey County and well into the Central Coast, with 220,000 total homes, according to Nielsen Holdings as of 2012....

Beach Flats residents vent over the loss of a mural, but is the city to blame? First installed 21 years ago, the Beach Flats Community Mural featured snapshots of Latino families, and a balance between everyday life and the surreal. Two weeks ago, the mural was painted over by the city of Santa Cruz, with plans...

Santa Cruz shaman Brant Secunda travels the world spreading the ways of the Huichol Before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, more than 10,000 people lived on California’s coast between Big Sur and San Francisco. Dating back some 15,000 years, the Ohlone, as we call them today, wove baskets and traded abalone shells,...

Sun enters the sign and magnetic field of Cancer, the gate where spirit enters form, Saturday at 3:51 am (Pacific time). Summer begins in the northern hemisphere. Moon/Uranus in Aries, Sun/Mercury in Gemini (a message for humanity to bring forth all things new). The Archangel Uriel assumes his summer duties protecting Earth’s kingdoms. We find him...