The Bombs Bursting in Air
It was a busy Fourth of July locally but it always is. Santa Cruz police responded to 467 calls for service and answered 104 fireworks calls between 4PM Tuesday and 1AM Wednesday, according to SCPD reports. There were 41 triple-fine citations, which “were mostly alcohol and fireworks-related”. Personally, I actually didn’t think the illegal fireworks issue was as bad as it’s been in past years. It was still bad. It started at dusk and pretty much ran non-stop until after midnight. But the later it got, the quicker it tapered off. Of course, it’s a nightmare for anyone with dogs or cats so I hope there weren’t a lot of runaway missing or lost pets as a result. SCPD just doesn’t have the manpower to deal with the madness of all that is Fourth of July in Santa Cruz. And people know it and take advantage of it.
Possible Human Remains Found in the Pogonip
And I’m not talking about those found buried in Evergreen Cemetery. I heard from a couple different people about the possibility that human remains were found in the Pogonip on Wednesday afternoon. I heard one report that a bone was found that was approximately a foot long, and photos were being sent to the coroner for better identification. Then another source reported “a pair of smaller sweatpants with what appears to be leg bone” on the bike trail in Pogonip. No other information and no story from the mainstream media about this.
Moshing the Night Away
Tuesday night around 10PM, reports came in about 30 subjects pushing and shoving (described by a witness as “people moshing in the street”) in front of a house on the 500 block of National. Reports also came in about a hundred people flooding out of Derby Park. SCPD sent 4-5 units on a busy 4th of July night of constant fireworks (and people reporting them). About a half hour after this call, fire was dispatched for a grass fire in Derby Park. Illegal fireworks? Probably.
Car Thieves Thwarted on West Side
Tuesday night around 10PM, reports came in about a couple of car thieves breaking into a garage at a home near the corner of Modesto and Swanton. The homeowner came upon 2 subjects trying to steal a car from their garage. Two suspects fled on bicycles. I don’t think the suspects were caught.
Train Wreck Snarls Traffic Along Laurel and Chestnut
Monday afternoon around 1PM, the Roaring Camp railroad train collided with a mini van near the 7/11 at the corner of Laurel and Chestnut. The damage to the train appeared to be minimal but the van appeared to be a total loss. I don’t think anyone was seriously injured.
Carjacking in Live Oak Leads to Crash on Highway 17
Saturday night just before midnight, an SUV was apparently carjacked along the 3300 block of Portola drive. The car jacking lead to a subsequent chase which led to a subsequent crash and collision of the stolen vehicle. Reports by witnesses were that the driver of the stolen SUV was driving the wrong way on Highway 17 near the Sugarloaf exit when he crashed the vehicle, which caught fire and injured another motorist in the crash. Witnesses also reported seeing 8 police cars chasing the stolen SUV before it crashed.
Fake Gun Leads to Real Arrest
Last week, SCPD responded to the Cowell’s Beach parking lot after witnesses reported a man was waving a gun. When they arrived, they ordered the man to put his hands up. When he complied, a gun tucked under his arm fell out onto the ground. Upon closer examination, SCPD said it turned out to be an “airsoft” gun that the man had painted the safety orange tip black. The man was arrested and released with a ticket for having a replica gun with a modified orange tip. The guy’s lucky he wasn’t shot and killed here. What a moron. But it’s pretty indicative of the scene with some of the transient regulars that hang out along the stairs at Cowell’s and Main beach near the volleyball courts.
Man Pulls Knife Near Taco Bell on Soquel
Thursday morning around 9AM, reports came in that a man pulled a knife on someone along Soquel avenue. SCPD caught up with him at Frederick and Soquel and did a stop on the suspect. Sounds like this could have been a disagreement between bums and one pulled a knife on the other.
Man Passed Out on Westside
Wednesday morning around 11AM, reports came in that a man was reportedly passed out in a car near the corner of Delaware and Woodrow, with the hood and the door of his car wide open. Did he have a needle sticking out of his leg too? SCPD responded with fire and medics.
Man Passed Out in the Middle of the SCHS Baseball Field
Monday morning around 9:30AM, reports came in about a man who was apparently passed out in the middle of the baseball field at Santa Cruz High School. Fire and medics also responded with SCPD.
It’s a Booty Call!
Thursday around 9AM, I got a report that a homeless woman was hanging out in front of the Vet’s Hall pulling her pants down and mooning people along Front street. Since it wasn’t a priority, the call got stacked so she was probably down there flashing people for awhile.
Truck Hits Fire Hydrant on Ocean
Friday afternoon, a truck ran over a fire hydrant at Ocean and Washburn, sending a plume of water into the air until someone from the water department could get down there.
Paddle Out For Jack on Sunday at Pleasure Point
Don’t forget about the big paddle put for Jack O’Neill this Sunday from 11AM until 2PM at Pleasure Point. I’m sure parking will be horrendous so please try to carpool if possible. I haven’t heard about any shuttle parking. East Cliff Drive between 30th Avenue and 41st Avenue will be closed to vehicle traffic from 7AM to 4PM. More info here.
Logos on Pacific Avenue Closing?
I heard rumors that the Logos bookstore on Pacific Avenue will be closing later this month. I haven’t seen or read anything “official”, but the sources seem pretty reliable. I heard their last day of buy back will be July 12th, so I expect if the news to be true that they’ll be trying to clear any remaining inventory and be out at the end of the month. That’s sad. I really like Logos. I like them much better than Book Shop Santa Cruz. Nothing against BSSC, they’re fine. I just like Logos better. I can’t imagine what’s planned for that big space. If anyone has any more details, post them in the comments.
New Starbucks to Open on Ocean Street on Saturday
I got word that the new Starbucks at 745 Ocean street near the courthouse and county buildings will be opening this Saturday. I expect them to do a booming business and the other smaller, local coffee shops to suffer for it. Not everyone will suffer. The people with the coffee cart in the courthouse courtyard will suffer for it. The new Starbucks will anchor part of Ocean Street that is the focus of a 20 year city plan to revitalize the corridor that brings visitors from Highway 17 to the beach. The goal of the 2014 report is to ensure that new buildings on Ocean Street are of high quality and “create a vibrant gateway to Santa Cruz.” The intersection of Ocean and Water streets where Starbucks is nearing completion is “a key gateway location,” according to the report. A “vibrant gateway to Santa Cruz”. Isn’t that what we are here? Vibrantly honest since 2016. Just doing our part.
Free Friday Concert at the Boardwalk
This week features Quiet Riot, legendary big hair band from the 80’s and 90’s. Featuring local hometown favorite American Idol James Durbin on vocals. James is very popular locally so I’d expect a larger than average crowd for this. Two shows, one at 6:30 and one at 8:30PM.
The Weekly Seen
Might want to consider one of the many outdoor lots downtown next time!
Weekly Shoutouts
Weekly shoutout to Judge Symons, who shut down Sugar Mama’s incessant, pain in the ass whine with a $198 fine!
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7 Responses
I have read somewhere that the carjacker of Sugarloaf exit is a local yoga teacher… Peace man…
Hmmmm…
Thank you for keeping on serving it fresh!
Be sure to share this with Visit Santa Cruz!
Once again the Weekly Dump has captured the Real News of Santa Cruz, while the Senile devoted ink to rich Mt Madonna white kids (who are taught by Hindus) “doing good” in South Africa, and retiring City bureaucrats and boring UCSC researchers who no one knew about or cares about. The CC should do their job and clean up the Mierda. The Senile should stop its whitewashing of life in SC and join the Weekly Dump in reporting on the Mierda to help embarass the CC into doing their job.
So now I’m hearing that Logos IS NOT CLOSING but apparently their “buy back” desk is closing, just not the store. Again, this is also hearsay. In my own defense, I did take the “Jeopardy” approach with the story headline (I phrased it in the form of a question) and I did say in the first sentence that it was a “rumor”. Apologies for any confusion, but I’m still confused here. If they’re not closing, I’m happy for that and will spend some money there soon as a mea culpa for being wrong.
I sure hope Logos is doing alright. I’ve been buying books there for 30 years (and selling them my used books for 30 years).
Also, a call to readers of The Dump, don’t set foot in that Starbucks! We’ve got plenty of local coffee shops in SC and local business is one of the things I love about living here. I’m sure Starbucks will get more than enough business from traffic stranded tourists trying to get to the beach.
Re car thieves thwarted on the west side
The people at the corner of Swanton and Modesto know nothing of the attempted car theft from a garage
Just inquired with a staff member of the Sentinel who lives nearby and he hadn’t heard anything about it either
Did the incident ever show up on police blogs?
It may not have been the exact house on the corner. I just use cross streets as a point of reference. It was heard on the police scanner when it happened.