The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a body that was found over the weekend. Spokeswoman Ashley Keehn said the body was discovered outdoors in a rural setting by someone checking on property lines on Redwood Drive near Glen Canyon Road Saturday afternoon. The Sheriff’s Office has not released whether the victim is male or female and what time the body was found. Redwood Drive is situated in the Soquel hills between Highway 17 and Highway 9.
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Thousands of people headed to the beach over the warm and sunny weekend, some not taking the stay at home order or social distancing very seriously. Dozens of sun worshippers flocked to Main Beach in front of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Saturday and Sunday as law officials worked the crowds to warn them of getting too close to one another and to avoid gathering in groups. The main problem is that many were setting up on the beach for a day of sunbathing and partying, while officials want people to use the beach for exercise only, meaning a stroll along the beach. Violations could bring a $1,000 fine. In the Santa Cruz Harbor Sunday I saw several families sitting at outdoor tables, where large signs were posted warning people not to sit there. Some had large pizza boxes and sodas and were enjoying meals together. I also noticed numerous people heading in and out of restaurants and cafes without masks, despite a county-wide order to do so in some social settings.
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In Monterey County officials are talking of extending the shelter in place order. There are 183 cases of COVID-19 in that county, including four deaths and 37 recoveries. Santa Cruz County now has 120 cases, two deaths and 67 recoveries. San Benito County has 47 cases with two deaths.
Overall, in California there are 44,966 cases with 1,723 deaths.
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I’m noticing more artists taking to the streets to draw out original designs in colorful chalk on the streets and sidewalks. I’ve spoken to a few of them and they say they felt a need to not only keep their art alive and out there for the public to view, but to offer something to their neighborhoods to enjoy during the stay at home order.
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The Hubble Space Telescope hit 30 years in space on April 24. Launched in 1990, the space gadget has been used to send thousands of astonishing photos of a host of space vistas.
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The cause of the early morning fire that tore through the Master Car Wash in Capitola April 23 has been determined to be spontaneous combustion. Fire Marshal Mike DeMars said that after reviewing security camera footage it “appears the fire started in a garbage can that was leaning up against the building.” A worker had been using a “reddish brown liquid” and then tossed cleaning rags into the garbage can. Eventually those chemicals began to heat up and trigger the 2:30am blaze, which has been deemed an accident. DeMars said people should take care to place any rags used with volatile chemicals, like stains, some paints, varnish, linseed oil and the like should be placed in a metal container with a lid after use.
