Tarmo Hannula: Though the day started out sunny in Santa Cruz, as I cruised into Watsonville on the METRO bus 69A the city was dark, cold and gray beneath a heavy cloud layer. The streets were still slick with rainwater. The National Weather Service said the next rain will come Wednesday night and spill into Thursday and Thursday night.
•
Two people were injured in a three-vehicle crash on the 1800 block of Beach Road at 6 a.m. today. Few details were available.
•
A 28-year-old San Jose man died in Moss Landing Sunday when a box truck collided with his motorcycle on Highway 1 near Moss Landing Road. Initial reports state that the victim was attempting a U-turn from the southbound lane to the north when the truck hit him, hurling him from his motorcycle, the California Highway Patrol said. Â
•
Thousands of anti-government protesters continued to hit the streets of Iran over the weekend after Tehran admitted that it mistakenly shot a Ukrainian jetliner out of the sky with a pair of surface-to-air missiles, killing all 176 people on board. At first Tehran waffled and stacked up excuses as evidence started to mount that the jet crash wasn’t a mechanical error.
•
A massive volcano has erupted in the Philippines forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. The explosion cast a 3,000-foot plume of ash skyward. Tremors have been felt in nearby villages following the country’s second-most-active volcano, the Taal, which is about 40 miles from Manila.
•
UCSC Astronomer/Professor Emerita, Sandra Faber, was recently awarded the prestigious Gold Medal of Astronomy. Faber also holds several other awards.
•
Today I saw a work crew setting up new light standards in the newly finished parking lot in back of the First Baptist Church on Madison Street. Pastor Jeff Eitzen said the new lot, built largely by church members, will feature dim-able lights and will allow neighbors to use the lot once they apply for permits. The church currently has about 120 members.
•
I went to the 46th annual Fungus Fair in Santa Cruz Sunday. I’ve gone to the event for years. There’s a lot to learn and the people there, from organizers to visitors, are mainly in it for the fun of the word fungus. Hundreds of live locally-harvested mushroom displays dominated the main exhibit room. Books, grow-able mushroom kits, cooking displays, art and crafts and more fill up the event.
