Numerous businesses continue to keep their windows covered with large sheets of plywood in downtown Watsonville and at the Overlook Shopping Center on Main Street. The move was triggered Wednesday night by someone who posted a notice promising “barbaric protests” Thursday as part of the ongoing global protests of the death of George Floyd.
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The FBI and ATF have been brought in to help investigate the alleged murder of Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy killed Saturday afternoon when he was ambushed by a gunman. The story has now garnered national news. It was revealed Monday in a press conference that the suspect, Steven Carrillo, had a large stash of weapons and ammunition on top of bomb-making materials. He will make his first court appearance on Friday.
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I rode my bike out onto the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf over the weekend and was surprised to see so many restaurants open and booming with business. The same went for downtown Santa Cruz as well. While some places appeared to maintain some level of safe social distancing and seating, others did not.
Though county beaches are still closed from 11am to 5pm, I saw scores of people lounging on the beach near the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf with umbrellas, ice chests, lawn furniture and blankets. Large packs of people wandered along the Boardwalk area and wharf with little or no regard for 6-foot social distancing.
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The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has now opened in a limited fashion. While no rides are running, dining and shopping now have the green light between 11am and 7pm.
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The Bay Area now has seen 15,412 Covid-19 cases of with 416 deaths. California has had 130,614 cases and 4,672 people have died. There have been 231 cases in Santa Cruz County with two deaths.
