IT?S BEEN A HARD HOLIDAY SEASON FOR THE FOLKS AT CAPITOLA COMMUNITY CHURCH. BEFORE THE NATIVITY FIGURES COULD EVEN BE SET UP, THE TRUCK IN WHICH THEY WERE TO BE PLACED WAS STOLEN?.AND NOW THE FIGURE OF THE BABY JESUS HAS BEEN TAKEN AS WELL. A LONGTIME CHURCH MEMBER SAYS THAT NO POLICE REPORT HAS BEEN FILED, AND THE RETURN OF THE CHRIST CHILD WOULD BE GREETED WITH NO QUESTIONS.

ANYONE WITH ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE LOCATION OF THE STOLEN FIGURE IS ASKED TO CONTACT CHURCH MEMBER JOHN HADLEY AT (831) 477-0821, OR CAPITOLA COMMUNITY CHURCH.

MONTEREY COUNTY SHERIFF MIKE KANALAKIS MADE A SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT WEDNESDAY, THAT A THIRD MAN IS BEING SOUGHT IN CONNECTION WITH A DEADLY SHOOTING OVER THE WEEKEND. THE MURDER TOOK PLACE DURING A ROBBERY ATTEMPT AT A PRUNEDALE TACO BELL . BRENDEN TSUKIMURA, AN EMPLOYEE OF THE TACO BELL RESTAURANT, WAS THE VICTIM. 2 OTHERS ARE NOW IN JAIL IN CONNECTION WITH THE CRIME, 19-YEAR-OLD CAIN BELTRAN AND 18-YEAR-OLD GABRIEL ALCARAZ. ALCARAZ HAS CONFESSED TO HIS ROLE IN THE SHOOTING, WHILE BELTRAN HAS PLEADED NOT GUILTY.

SANTA CRUZ, MONTEREY, AND SAN BENITO ARE AMONG THE 39 COUNTIES IN CALIFORNIA TO RECEIVE AN INCREASED NUMBER OF INSTRUMENTS THAT DETECT DRIVER ALCOHOL LEVEL. THE NEW INSTRUMENTS USE UPDATED TECHNOLOGY TO COMBINE THE TRADITIONAL PRELIMINARY ALCOHOL SCREENING DEVICE, AND THE IMMOBILE EVIDENTIAL BREATH TEST INSTRUMENT. THE NEW SELF-POWERED, SELF-CONTAINED DEVICE IS PORTABLE, AND MEETS EVIDENCE REQUIREMENTS (SET BY THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES) TO BE ADMISSIBLE IN COURT.

A NEW CHANCELLOR HAS BEEN CHOSEN TO LEAD U.C. - SANTA CRUZ. 45 YEAR-OLD DENICE DENTON, WHO HAS A BACKGROUND IN TEACHING, AND ENGINEERING, WILL START AT THE UNIVERSITY IN FEBRUARY. SHE COMES TO SANTA CRUZ FROM HER POSITION AS THE ENGINEERING DEAN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, WHERE SHE HAS HELD THAT POSITION SINCE 1996.