In the wake of recent crime tragedies, Santa Cruz officials and locals weigh in on safety and violence. PLUS: A deeper look at crime data and what it really signifies for Santa Cruz.

Tuesday, Feb. 26, Santa Cruz police officers Sgt. Loran "Butch" Baker, praised as the SCPD's top investigator, and Detective Elizabeth Butler, an expert in sexual assault cases, were shot down in the line of duty by Jeremy Goulet.

The officers were following up on an allegation against Goulet of sexual assault the previous week by a female co-worker from a local coffee shop where they both worked. About 15 minutes after the officers were shot, there was a brief encounter between Doyle Street resident Patricia DePalo and Santa Cruz Fire Capt. Jerry Freeman.

Has Corporate Power Seized The Internet?

If your daily routine takes you from one homegrown organic garden to another, bypassing vast fields choked with pesticides, you might feel pretty good about the current state of agriculture.

If your daily routine takes you from one noncommercial progressive website to another, you might feel pretty good about the current state of the Internet.

But while mass media have supplied endless raptures about a digital revolution, corporate power has seized the Internet—and the anti-democratic grip is tightening every day.

Our semi-annual Spring Home & Garden issue

Inside:
Sprucing Up For Spring
Five Ways to Increase the Value of Your Home
Fields of Gold 
Making the Most Out of a Small Space
The Benefits of Bonsai

In a compelling analysis, one scribe reflects back on the days of real economic ‘growth’ and wonders: What the hell happened?

Your dearest wish is for our state structure and ideological system never to change, to remain as they are for centuries. But history is not like that. Every system either finds a way to develop or else collapses." Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote that in 1974, in his famous "Letter to the Soviet Leaders." But it could just as easily be addressed to President Barack Obama, Congress, members of the media, corporate chiefs, and others who lead and maintain the power structure in the United States.

Santa Cruz’s powerful parade of estrogen is ready to roll—again. A provocative look inside the new season of the Derby Girls, the league’s addictive charm and how these gals embody a fierce spirit of accomplishment.

Modern roller derby needs no introduction in Santa Cruz. We’re funny that way; ahead of the curve. Pun intended. Five seasons of derby at sold-out bouts Saturday after Saturday adds up to approximately 40 bouts in front of roughly 40,000 seats, all filled with screaming fans. If you are personally unfamiliar with this thing called flat track roller derby, if you don’t know a jammer from a shortstop, or if you think a CoraZone is a delightful Italian lunch …  simply turn to your neighbor and he or she will set you straight.

How Santa Cruz native Nick Mucha helped launch the nonprofit Project WOO and why it is empowering surfers to give back to developing communities

It has happened many times throughout history. Travelers searching for destinations that have not yet been “ruined” by tourism arrive in small numbers at a little-known locale that often has few facilities, little access and limited local knowledge of their needs. Soon, awareness of the destination grows, as does the number of visitors, facilities and popularity. Eventually, the community reaches its capacity and finds it challenging to manage the social and environmental costs of mass tourism. As a result, the number of visitors declines until the destination fails.

Have you thought about your lymphatic system lately, or taken a close look at how your body processes sugar? When was the last time you sweat your ‘bad ass’ off? Our annual Health Issue spotlights inspiring stories of nutrition, fitness and holistic wellness that get you thinking about these three things and more.

Inside:
Kicking Butt
Health News
The Lowdown On Lymph
Sweet Talk
Recipe: Gentle Green Goodness

An inside look at her new book, ‘The Law of Divine Compensation’

Work, money and miracles are fodder for discussion when best-selling author Marianne Williamson hits Santa Cruz.

In late 2008, the economy began mood swinging worse than Lindsay Lohan.  Emotional buttons were pushed. Concerns over money mounted.  Values were questioned (more). Suddenly, in the midst of jobs lost, lives and livelihoods being turned completely upside down, and the fear of the unknown skyrocketing north, the stock market became even more of an ominous omnipresent figure. The micro-era also gave birth to new catchphrase: “In this economy …”  Translation: “Things are bad.” On the outside, perhaps. On the flipside, for the awareness-hungry and/or spiritually-minded, it may have proven to be both a test of faith and possibly a time to strengthen one’s resolve—an opportunity to somehow not only move forward, but also put out some more good juju into the world. Enter Marianne Williamson. During this time, the internationally acclaimed lecturer and spiritual author—six of her 10 books hit the New York Times bestseller list—certainly found herself on the receiving end of new insights.

Jackie Partida of Dressed In Roses strikes a memorable chord in the local music scene and paves the way for other young women to follow their bliss and become empowered. (Could ‘The Voice’ be next?)

Most 4-year-olds get off on the likes of SpongeBob SquarePants or crooning “The Wheels On The Bus.” But when local gal Jackie Partida was a toddler, she was already strumming a different chord. 

Meet the local author, Huna healer and wild dolphin swim guide who wants to help put you on the friggin’ path to happiness

If you should go exploring the New Age/self-help field, you’d best keep a sharp eye out for cowpies. For every writer, speaker or counselor with some legitimate wisdom to share, there’s a sham-man offering to remove the lint from your Third Navel, or there’s a Professor Marvel-style huckster with some transcendental floss he’d like to sell you.