Sauvignon Blanc 2010—and Johnny’s Harborside Restaurant

Skov Winery is a fairly new kid on the block. But it’s certainly not new in the wine biz. Formerly called Roudon-Smith Winery, owners Annette and David Hunt decided on a complete turnaround, sold off the old winery and brought in a whole new label with a very different look. The Skov label reflects Annette’s Danish background—Skov is Danish for forest and it just so happens that their winery on Bean Creek Road in Scotts Valley is surrounded by redwoods. It also fits hand in glove with the whole Santa Cruz image—more redwoods in a heavily forested area.

Cooking school founder serves up a tasty menu of culinary classes  

Salmon and English muffins? Check. Lemony chicken—heavy on the lemons—that’s my unfortunate specialty. God-awful scrambled eggs, sweet potato hash gone wrong, dreary pasta sauce, burned meatballs. The list goes go on and on. Those who know me are distinctly aware that I’m a wretched cook. (And they have the stories to back it up.) In fact, I’ve been banned from cooking by everyone close to me. They refuse to eat anything I’ve prepared.

Dengue Fever breathes new life into vintage Cambodian pop

While backpacking with a friend through Southeast Asia in 1997, Ethan Holtzman, organist for Los Angeles-based band Dengue Fever, had a revelation—all thanks to a mosquito.

“Traveling by bus somewhere between the ruins of Angkor Wat and the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, Holtzman’s traveling buddy was going through the symptoms of Dengue Fever,” explains friend and fellow band member Paul Smith. “Each time Holtzman made his way to the front of the bus to check in on his friend, a kind of music he had never heard before came blaring from the tape deck of the bus driver, leaving him hungry for more.”

Authors Maira Kalman and Daniel Handler open up

On a Bookshop Santa Cruz wall, notes are taped above a pile of books whose covers depict a luminous white coffee mug suspended against a red backdrop.

“We broke up because I’m not a gorgeous Australian who lives in China. Accents, right?” reads one note. The words, “We broke up because…” are printed on pages of a notepad near the shop’s display, prompting book shop visitors to share their break up stories. The notes correspond directly with the title of the books piled below: “Why We Broke Up,” by Daniel Handler (a.k.a. popular children’s author Lemony Snicket).

I’m thinking it may be a good idea. I’m concerned with the cost but our need for fresh water is only growing. 
Michael David 
Santa Cruz | Job Hunting

Zachary Frandeen says he can’t really afford to live in Santa Cruz, but that he loves it too much to live anywhere else. It was this sentiment that inspired him to create the “Cantaffordit” stickers that have been cropping up around town since he released them in 2011. “’Cantaffordit’ is how I feel about Santa Cruz, but I live here because it’s the best place on Earth, and I feel like that’s why people can relate,” he says. The Santa Cruz County native has been a photographer since 1992 (“I have been a starving artist ever since, and love it,” he says), and thought up the sticker—his first adventure in adhesive art—while taking graphic design at Cabrillo College last year. The stickers can be found for $2 (plus tax) at DJ’s Mini Mart (Frandeen’s place of employment), Streetlight Records, Bill’s Wheel’s, and a handful of other local establishments. Frandeen’s goal? To sell enough stickers to launch a “Cantaffordit” T-shirt line.

K-12 financial security hinges on governor’s tax initiative

The financial future of K-12 education in California is murky, to say the least.  

The best-case scenario hinges on Gov. Jerry Brown’s tax initiative, which would temporarily raise sales tax by a half-cent and income taxes for those making more than $250,000, passing at the ballot boxes in November. If approved by voters, these temporary increases, which would expire after five years, could generate an estimated $7 billion, and go on to fund local schools, community colleges, and public safety realignment.

Upcoming nonviolence workshops promote compassionate direct action

What will it take to end poverty, war, racism, self-hatred and other violence? Reverend Deborah L. Johnson, spiritual director at Inner Light Ministries in Soquel, says love is the way.  

“When we use the word ‘love,’” she explains, “we’re not talking about a feeling or an emotion. We’re talking about a kind of love that is a direction of the will. It’s the connectedness that I choose to have with you regardless of whether I like you or not. This is the force that allows us to love our enemies.”

Gov. Jerry Brown recently released his 2012-13 proposed budget, which includes continued cuts to services and the ability to ask voters to raise taxes.  How do you feel about the proposed budget and what does it means for our area?

SCOTTS VALLEY > Scooters may soon be allowed at Scotts Valley Skate Park

On the night of Thursday, Jan. 19, the Scotts Valley Parks and Recreation Department held a public meeting to determine whether or not to officially allow scooters in Scotts Valley Skate Park. Over the past couple months, the issue came to a head as older skaters expressed annoyance over the park being crowded by younger kids on scooters.