CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICERS JOINED SANTA CRUZ COUNTY SHERIFF?S DEPUTIES IN BREAKING UP A LARGE PARTY IN SANTA CRUZ FRIDAY NIGHT. NEIGHBORS CALLED POLICE AFTER BEING DISTURBED BY A PARTY ATTENDED BY ABOUT 200 COLLEGE STUDENTS ON BRANCIFORTE DRIVE. THE CELEBRANTS LEFT WITHOUT INCIDENT AFTER LAW ENFORCEMENT ARRIVED TO BREAK UP THE BASH.

A WATSONVILLE WOMAN WHOSE SON IS WANTED ON SUSPICION OF MURDER MUST REMAIN BEHIND BARS, A SANTA CRUZ COUNTY JUDGE RULED MONDAY. JUDGE SAMUEL STEVENS DENIED A REQUEST BY BERTHA GARCIA?S ATTORNEY TO HAVE HER RELEASED FROM JAIL ON HER OWN RECOGNIZANCE. THE JUDGE ALSO DENIED A MOTION TO HAVE GARCIA?S BAIL REDUCED FROM $150,000. THE 39-YEAR-OLD GARCIA WAS ARRESTED DECEMBER 9TH, SIX DAYS AFTER A 17-YEAR-OLD WAS STABBED TO DEATH IN WATSONVILLE. GARCIA?S 18-YEAR-OLD SON, MARIO ALBERT LOZANO, WAS ALLEGEDLY INVOLVED IN THE MURDER OF ISAAC GUZMAN, WHO WAS STABBED 37 TIMES. LOZANO DISAPPEARED AFTER THE SLAYING. POLICE ALLEGE THAT GARCIA TRIED TO ARRANGE FOR HER SON TO BE SENT TO IDAHO, THEN MEXICO, TO ELUDE AUTHORITIES. SHE HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH CONSPIRACY. DISTRICT ATTORNEY BOB LEE ARGUED THAT GARCIA WAS A FLIGHT RISK WHO WOULD DO ANYTHING TO PROTECT HER SON.

THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AWARDED $140,000 TO SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY'S MOSS LANDING MARINE LABORATORY. THEY WILL BE WORKING WITH OTHER AREA SCIENTISTS TO STANDARDIZE AND EXPAND WETLAND RESTORATION AND MONITORING, ALONG THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COAST. THEN THE NEW INFORMATION WILL BE USED TO PRODUCE A TRAINING MANUAL FOR THE METHOD.

AT A GATHERING TODAY IN MONTEREY, STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY THEY EXPECT WEST NILE VIRUS TO HIT CENTRAL AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA HARDER THIS YEAR. THE VIRUS IS SPREAD BY MOSQUITOES. THE MONTEREY COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS DEVELOPED A NEW TOOL IN THE FIGHT , USING SPACE TECHNOLOGY TO TRACK MOSQUITOES. WITH NASA SATELLITE IMAGERY, AND COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY THEY HOPE TO PREDICT WHERE MOSQUITOES GATHER, AND WHERE WEST NILE IS MOST LIKELY TO BE SPREAD. ABOUT 800 PEOPLE IN OUR STATE WERE INFECTED WITH WEST NILE VIRUS LAST YEAR, MOSTLY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA . OF THAT NUMBER, 27 DIED OF THE VIRUS.