Those of us who are lucky enough to live in Santa Cruz are no strangers to natural beauty. However, our familiarity with this luxury can lead to a lack of appreciation and respect for the environment we get to be a part of. I wanted to take a closer look at the animals around the campus and city of Santa Cruz.

City on a Hill Press sits down with UCSC alumna Callan Hajosy who has just bought a one-way ticket to Arusha, Tanzania, where she will be working to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS through education for five months in the tiny village of Mateves.

A new iPhone app has been developed for the Santa Cruz Police Department (SCPD) which will allow users to access the SCPD’s scanner feed, crime maps, new departmental blog, crime alerts and mug shots. The app will also be developed and released for use on the Droid platform within the coming months.

On April 4, over 1,200 events took place to put pressure on government policies that have made it harder for union workers to organize. In Santa Cruz, some 150 people gathered at the county building to advocate for their collective bargaining rights.

In this week’s A Changing UC, City on a Hill Press talks to an American studies major from England who tells how the program has diminished throughout his year at UCSC, and how he has grown to love many aspects of the campus and community.

Santa Cruzan Bryan Stow was severely beaten on March 31 at the Dodgers’ opening game. A fundraiser was held last Monday to show the city’s support for him and his family, and has raised over $25,000.

Faculty, students, and the UC Santa Cruz administration make up the newly formed Demonstration Advisory Group (DAG), whose purpose is to gather information from students and other interested parties to more clearly inform the UC on how to enact regulatory policy with regard to demonstrations.

City on a Hill Press reviews some of the latest additions to the world of entertainment. Arianna Vinion enjoys Panda Bear’s newest effort, while Mitchell Bates is critical of “Battle: Los Angeles.”

The ninth annual Santa Cruz Half Marathon and 10K on West Cliff earns high praise from pros and newcomers. The event drew a total of 4,374 registered racers, which eclipsed last year’s total by over 1,000.

Instrumental band Silian Rail is playing Santa Cruz’s own Caffé Pergolesi on April 14 in support of the deluxe, vinyl release of their second album, “Parhelion.”