1268836549 http://news.santacruz.com/guest-writers Santa Cruz News: Local news and information for Santa Cruz CA constantly updated. en home@blvds.com Copyright 2010 2010-03-17T14:24:22+00:00 /2010/03/17/dogs_one_step_closer_to_returning_to_downtown /2010/03/17/dogs_one_step_closer_to_returning_to_downtown The Downtown Association’s board voted 8-1 yesterday to allow dog owners to bring their pets downtown over a six-month trial period. The decision is the first step in lifting a 34-year ban on dog on Pacific Avenue and the surrounding area. The Board’s recommendation included a number of stipulations, including a ban on dogs after dark, a ban on panhandling with dogs, and a requirement that leashes be between three and five feet long. In addition, no more than three dogs will be allowed in close proximity to one another. Business 2010-03-17T14:24:22+00:00 /2010/03/17/santa_cruz_composting_program_saved /2010/03/17/santa_cruz_composting_program_saved Santa Cruz County will be keeping its composting program, despite the steep costs involved. For the past three years, the county has been composting food scraps from more than 50 local schools, hospitals, and restaurants. The amount of discarded food collected totals about 100 tons per month, which would otherwise go into the Buena Vista Landfill.  Environment 2010-03-17T14:03:34+00:00 /2010/03/17/a_santa_cruz_tale /2010/03/17/a_santa_cruz_tale The photograph on the cover of The Mental Traveler is an extreme close-up of a young white man of indeterminate age, thick black beard and moustache bristly and unkempt, forehead knotted, head bowed toward the camera. He appears consumed by his thoughts, overcome by deep emotion, his forehead ready to burst. Community 2010-03-17T11:00:48+00:00 /2010/03/15/best_breakfast_spot_for_dogs /2010/03/15/best_breakfast_spot_for_dogs Ever wonder where to take your dog for breakfast? Consider Aldo’s. It was recently voted the “favorite breakfast restaurant” for man’s (and woman’s) best friend by voters in the Woofy Awards on the Woofers and Walkers website. After breakfast, you may want to take your dog to the museum—after all, even pooches need a little culture—and the Surfer’s Museum is now officially recognized as the county’s most dog-friendly attraction. Business 2010-03-15T14:25:25+00:00 /2010/03/15/norse_gets_another_day_in_court /2010/03/15/norse_gets_another_day_in_court Someone ought to give Robert Norse a copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People. Back in 2002, Norse was ejected from a City Council meeting for giving a Nazi salute. In 2004 he was ejected yet again for parading in City Council chambers. In both cases, Norse was advocating on behalf of the city’s homeless. He sued City Council, claiming that his right to free speech was violated, but this was dismissed in November by a three-member panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Now a majority of justices on the court have agreed to reconsider his case. News 2010-03-15T14:09:40+00:00 /2010/03/12/who_are_the_tourists_who_come_to_santa_cruz /2010/03/12/who_are_the_tourists_who_come_to_santa_cruz Santa Cruz is definitely a tourist city. But what do we know about the people who visit here? This was the subject of a study conducted by the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council with the goal of gaining insights into how to better market to tourists and increase visits to the area, especially in the off season. Business 2010-03-12T18:04:31+00:00 /2010/03/12/forbes_to_ucsc_hubba_hubba /2010/03/12/forbes_to_ucsc_hubba_hubba Some schools, like the University of Bologna or Oxford, have traditions stretching back centuries. Their ancient buildings are the centerpiece of their cities, and those cities are recognized as international treasures. But as the Roman poet Juvenal pointed out, “Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another.” That is why a rustic setting is so ideal for an institution of higher learning. It is also probably why Forbes magazine listed UCSC as one of the most beautiful campuses in the world. News 2010-03-12T17:52:35+00:00 /2010/03/12/urban_realist_in_the_far_west /2010/03/12/urban_realist_in_the_far_west Burt Levitsky left New York more than 30 years ago, but the streets of Manhattan still pulse to life in his realist oil paintings. Trained as an illustrator and Madison Avenue ad designer, Levitsky recalls working on ad layouts by day and coming home to paint all night. Studying with Frank Reilly and Max Ginsburg, Levitsky mastered contemporary realist imagery that was always haunted by the moods and hustle of urban life. There’s a lot of George Tooker’s ennui and Thomas Hart Benton’s vitality in his ambitious portrayals of people embedded in their metropolitan landscapes. Community 2010-03-12T11:00:02+00:00 /2010/03/11/sober_living_house_manager_goes_to_clink /2010/03/11/sober_living_house_manager_goes_to_clink Donald Carl Peter got off easy. The former manager of a sober-living house in Santa Cruz already had 26 convictions against him dating back all the way to 1980. News 2010-03-11T13:41:06+00:00 /2010/03/11/county_jobless_rate_sets_new_record /2010/03/11/county_jobless_rate_sets_new_record The unemployment figures for January are out, and they are startling. About 15 percent of the population of Santa Cruz—almost one in every six people—is jobless. By way of comparison, the jobless rate in all of California is 13.2 percent; nationwide, it is 10.6 percent. According to the Employment Development Department, the figure is significantly higher than the past record, 14.6, back in 1993. News 2010-03-11T13:29:47+00:00