ZAYANTE RESIDENTS WERE LOCKED INTO THEIR AREA (AT ZAYANTE SCHOOL AND EAST ZAYANTE ROADS) AFTER A LARGE OAK TREE CAME CRASHING DOWN IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD EARLY THIS MORNING. THE TREE NOT ONLY BLOCKED THE ROADWAY, BUT ALSO BROUGHT DOWN POWER LINES, LEAVING THEM WITHOUT ELECTRICITY. THE TREE ACTUALLY DOWNED 3 UTILITY POLES. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED BUT ABOUT 900 PEOPLE WERE WITHOUT POWER FOR MOST OF THE MORNING. PG&E CREWS WORKED FOR HOURS BEFORE POWER WAS RESTORED TO ABOUT 500 CUSTOMERS. THE REST ARE EXPECTED TO BE BACK ON LINE BY 8 P.M.

MONTEREY COUNTY AUTHORITIES SAY THAT IN THE YEAR 2004, THERE WERE 10 MORE HOMICIDES THAN THE PREVIOUS YEAR. OF THE 37 HOMICIDES THAT TOOK PLACE, 23 ARE THOUGHT TO BE GANG-RELATED, AND MOST REMAIN UNSOLVED. THE FEAR OF GANG RETALIATION HAS MADE SOLVING MURDER CASES DIFFICULT, SINCE WITNESSES ARE RELUCTANT TO COME FORWARD. THE MONTEREY COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AND SALINAS POLICE DEPARTMENT CREATED A GANG-TASK FORCE TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. LAW ENFORCEMENT LEADERS BELIEVE 2004 WAS A HIGH POINT FOR HOMICIDES, AND HOPE THE TASK FORCE WILL BE ABLE TO CURB GANG ACTIVITY.

UCSC HAS RECEIVED A $1.4 MILLION GIFT, THE LARGEST SINGLE DONATION EVER GIVEN BY A FORMER STUDENT. IT CAME FROM ALUMNI FOUNDATION TRUSTEE KIT MURA-SMITH. MURA-SMITH DESIGNATED AN IRREVOCABLE CHARITABLE TRUST, WHERE HALF THE MONEY GOES TO ENHANCING THE UNIVERSITY'S LIBRARY FACILITIES, AND THE OTHER HALF WILL PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR RE-ENTRY STUDENTS. SHE CREDITED HER TIME STUDYING AT UCSC AS AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE IN HER LIFE. SHE WAS ACCEPTED AS AN "OLDER" RE-ENTRY STUDENT IN 1974, PAVING THE WAY FOR HER FUTURE SUCCESS. MURA-SMITH GRADUATED FROM UCSC IN 1975 WITH A DEGREE IN APPLIED SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY. SHE EVENTUALLY BECAME A PARTNER AT TRIMBLE NAVIGATION IN SUNNYVALE. HER GIFT BRINGS UCSC CLOSER TO ITS CORNERSTONE CAMPAIGN GOAL OF RAISING $50 MILLION BY JUNE OF 2005. THE CAMPUS HAS RAISED $45 MILLION TO DATE.

A MORGAN HILL TEENAGE ARMY RESERVIST TOOK THE INITIATIVE TO RAISE MONEY ON HIS OWN, FOR HIS MILITARY UNIT. SEAN FLYNN RAISED ALMOST $3,000 IN A SPORTS MEMORABILIA AUCTION. HIS PLAN WAS TO BUY EQUIPMENT FOR HIS UNIT, BUT WITH THE MILITARY CRITICIZED FOR NOT ADEQUATELY SUPPLYING SOME TROOPS , HIS UNIT RESPONDED BY SAYING ITS MEMBERS HAD ALL THE EQUIPMENT THEY NEEDED. FLYNN'S 10-DAY EBAY AUCTION ENDED LAST WEEK AND INCLUDED 10 ITEMS. 4 OF THEM BELONGED TO THE 18-YEAR-OLD, AND THE REST WERE DONATED. HALF THE MONEY WILL GO TO SUPPORT MOTHERS OF MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS, WHILE THE OTHER HALF WILL BUY EXTRA ITEMS SUCH AS A LAPTOP COMPUTER OR SATELLITE PHONE FOR FLYNN'S 445TH CIVIL AFFAIRS BATTALION.