Every community has its hot-button issues; Santa Cruz is different only because it's got an entire bank of hot buttons, all flashing at the same time. Although some controversies tend to flare up and ...

The universe loves balance, and in dark times, the light shines brightly, but only here and there. In Santa Cruz, for 40 years, our constant spark has been carried forth by the Banana Slug String Band ...

EVERY PLACE HAS a favorite name for it: smack, skag, junk, hammer, slow, gear, harry, horse, brown sugar, black tar, big H, Harry. In Santa Cruz County, the slang term of choice for heroin is "chiva," ...

A holiday a cappella performance may not be the first place you'd look for firebrand political commentary, but for Santa Cruz three-piece Mayim, political commentary is part and parcel of their yearly ...

What can you do to show how much you care about everyone and everything that deserves your love? Now is a fantastic time to unleash a flood of gratitude and appreciation that takes very practical ...

The world’s darkest material is Vantablack. This super-black coating absorbs 99.96% of visible light, creating a visual void. It has many practical applications, like improving the operation of ...

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis is a band leader, Broadway composer, and a giant in 21st-century jazz. Coming to Kuumbwa with his Quartet, Monday ...

Exploding Crustaceans figured they were in with Berkeley's Gilman Street. They'd played there twice, including a cool gig with Swingin' Utters last fall. But the PC punx have problems with the ...

Simone and Paul are longtime Pearl Alley Bistro patrons, so it was fun joining them at this local landmark of wine and food. A warm summer evening last week found us in the Languedoc region of France- ...

Back in the biblical day, cherubim guarded the Tree of Life. Today’s cherubim are shown in this Garden of Eden photo doing due diligence, but in their spare time they are students at UCSC. Biblical ...