Today is Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day, is typically a day when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. The holiday has origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia. The festival was largely created to celebrate the coming of spring. At the end of the fifth century, Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day. It came to be celebrated as a day of romance around the 14th century
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There was a magnitude 4.0 earthquake south of Hollister near Tres Pinos Thursday evening, according to the United States Geological Survey. No damage or injuries were reported in the 7:33 p.m. temblor.
Speaking of quakes, there was a 6.9 earthquake between Japan and Russia off Japan’s northern coast on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. Thus far there have been no reports of serious damage or injuries. Additionally, there was no reported danger of a tsunami. Officials said the quake was off the country’s northern island, Hokkaido, and east of the Russian-held island, Etorofu.
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Monday is President’s Day, which is a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, the holiday eventually turned into Presidents’ Day.
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A man died Thursday after he reportedly fell in a machine at Monterey Mushrooms on Maher Road in Royal Oaks, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, is investigating the industrial incident. They said the victim, 63-year-old Jose Fierro, was killed while working inside a hopper. OSHA said it will look into the cause and workplace safety standards.
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On the third day of strikes by student workers across the University of California system, 17 people were arrested Wednesday at UC Santa Cruz by police from multiple agencies. The so-called wildcat strike is a month-long effort by student workers who are asking for a cost of living adjustment. At the heart of the issue is their call for a substantial raise for student assistants who say the cost of living in Santa Cruz County is too high.
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About 250 people attended an open house Tuesday night in Live Oak put on by the Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission and the Santa Cruz Metro as part of a yearlong Transit Corridor Alternative Analysis, which is gathering the public’s input to develop a public transit option for the county’s rail corridor. The project aims to form a transit system using the county’s rail right of way. That system stretches between the Pajaro Station in Monterey County and Shaffer Road on the west side of Santa Cruz. A similar meeting was held and Wednesday night in Watsonville.
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Pajaro Valley Quilt Association’s (PVQA) 42nd annual Quilt Show is Feb. 22 and 23. More than 300 quilts will be on exhibit at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. This year’s theme is “History in the Making.” It will be held from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Feb. 22 and on Feb. 23 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2601 East Lake Ave., Watsonville. For information visit pvqa.org.
Quote of the day: “Love, having no geography, knows no boundaries.” — Truman Capote.
