About Town

Tarmo Hannula: This evening marks the first First Friday Art Tour of Santa Cruz of the New Year. The free, informal event is an arena for the public to visit area artists and take in the bounty of their work at various venues, including...

Tarmo Hannula: There was a 3.9 earthquake centered in Morgan Hill last night. I was in bed reading when suddenly it felt like a truck bumped into my house. It hit at 11:16 p.m. The United State Geological Survey said it reached Santa Cruz,...

TARMO HANNULA: We are now in the final hours of 2019. If you’ve ever had the tremendous delight of seeing the Broadway musical “Rent," you'll remember how the characters deal with the idea of what a year is in their song, “Seasons of Love”:  “Five...

Tarmo Hannula: The San Francisco 49ers just barely edged past the Seattle Seahawks last night in a cliffhanger finale. The 49ers have not beaten the Seahawks in Seattle since 2011. The harrowing closure ultimately came down to a mighty blunt tackle by Dre Greenlaw...

Tarmo Hannula: Robert "Rolo" Leonardich hung up his keys at the Watsonville Police Department Friday for the last time after 41 years of service. About 50 people packed into the briefing room at WPD to share cake and words of respect and recognition of...

Tarmo Hannula: I learned in the newspapers the other day that Germans are credited with starting the tradition of Christmas trees in the 1500s. • At midnight Tuesday, as Christmas Eve slipped into Christmas Day, I heard an interesting bit on my police radio from a...

Tarmo Hannula: Christmas Eve 2019. The year is winding down. Last minute shopping, for some, is now moving at the speed of light. Traffic is more hectic. • A series of 14 original paintings by Capitola artist Ed Penniman are now showing at Ella’s at the Airport...

Tarmo Hannula: Major progress is visible at the giant construction project of the new Hampton Inn & Suites on Lee Road. A new Starbucks Coffee drive-in and service station, among other shops, are in the works. • The winter solstice was Saturday, marking the first day...

I walked through the Capitola Mall on 41st Avenue last night and was surprised to see how empty it was. In Beck’s Shoes, a place that’s been there for years and offers a wide range of quality shoes, had one or two customers. The...

Tarmo Hannula President Donald Trump was impeached Wednesday by the House of Representatives on two articles, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. We’ve all heard Trump’s unending list of labels for this: lies, sham, fraud, hoax, shameful, scam, witch hunt, distortion, untruthful, mean, disastrous...