KPIG's Alternative Newsman Travus T. Hipp Died Friday Morning

The man known for decades on the radio by his Hipp name passed away in his sleep at home in Silver City, Nevada. Among other things, he was famous for getting arrested for growing marijuana while broadcasting live.

  Callers began flooding Freedom-based radio station KPIG-FM (107.5) Friday after disk jockeys told listeners that controversial newsman Travis T. Hipp passed away in his sleep overnight. He was the man who gave "All The News You Never Knew You Needed To Know ...Until Now." The 75-year-old, who was born Chandler Laughlin III, seemed like a lifelong hippie and did his news reports by phone from his home in Silver City, Nevada, because he thought California was going to fall into the ocean. Hipp was part of the 1960s revolution, a contemporary of Wavy Gravy, who spent time at radio stations KSAN in San Francisco and KZAP in Sacramento before he signed up with KFAT in Gilroy, which turned into KPIG in Freedom in 1988. "He basically gave the …

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Readers' Choice Results: My Thai Beach Wins

The beachside restaurant is your choice for best Thai food in Capitola-Soquel.

In this week's "Readers' Choice" contest, 85 voters cast their ballots for the best place in all of Capitola-Soquel to go get Thai food. And the winner is: My Thai Beach with 63 votes (74 percent). Over on Yelp, reviewer Christine C. says, "I was impressed by the flavor, texture, and amount of food in the dishes. So delicious! I have eaten at every Thai restaurant in the area, and this is now my favorite for lunch."  Coming in a distant second was Sawasdee, with 10 votes (11 percent), and third was Star of Siam with six votes (seven percent). We launch another Readers' Choice poll next monday, so stay tuned. Voting begins in the morning. What do you think of the winner? Where do you go for Thai food? Tell us in the comments!

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Target Calls: Office Managers And Chefs Seek Work

Thousands of people from many backgrounds are seeking a limited number of jobs at the Target job fair.

Claire Foster did not envision standing in line for a job at Target when she looked ahead to being 55-years-old, she said Thursday. She was one of hundreds who showed up for the three-day event at the Career Development Center in Capitola. Unemployment in Santa Cruz County currently stands at 13.7 percent, and has not dropped below 10 percent since December 2008, according to the U.S Bureau Of Labor Statistics. Foster was the office manager when Creative Labs in Scotts Valley shut its doors in Jan. 2011. She came out Thursday unsure if she qualifies for any positions at Target, but is trying to find anything at this point. "I've been jobless a long time and it's really scary," said Foster. "My unemployment runs out in 10 weeks and I'm not …

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Accused Capitola Arsonist Facing the Music in August

The man accused of torching a carport last summer will be in court in August.

Hiring Hundreds of Locals: Q&A with Target Manager Valerie Custodio

Target is holding a hiring fair until Saturday afternoon to bring on 300 new employees.

Target is on track to open in the Capitola Mall on July 29, and with just over two months left until the local bullseye is unveiled, it's time to start staffing the store. Until May 19, Target is holding a job fair at the Capitola Career Center. For full details on how to apply, click here. Valerie Custodio has been named the store manager of the new Target. She has been a Target employee for 10 years in both Marina and Sand City. Custodio spoke with Capitola-Soquel Patch at the job fair Thursday morning. See highlights of that conversation below. Capitola-Soquel Patch: How's the turn out so far? Valerie Custodio, Manager of Capitola Target: It's great. There was a line when we opened but we actually had scheduled over 600 interviews every…

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Jacob Bourne

3:43 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012

Any thoughts on a potential partnership between Target and Soquel Elementary School? Tell us here!   more ›

Sales Increase But Struggles Continue for Ristorante Barolo after 'Restaurant: Impossible'

The owners of Ristorante Barolo have not been able to fully turn around their business following Food Network's help.

On Wednesday's episode of "Restaurant: Impossible" featuring Ristorante Barolo in Aptos, owner Cristina Locke said she often feels like she takes "one step forward and five steps back." With Food Network's help, the progress is now moving forward, but not quite at the pace that Locke may have hoped. FoodNetwork.com caught up with the folks at Ristorante Barolo and shared this update on its site:  In Aptos, Calif., Robert and the "Restaurant: Impossible" team faced the daunting task of turning things around at Ristorante Barolo. Owners Giovanni Guerisoli and Cristina Locke struggled with the changing economy as well as family health problems, and could barely keep their 10-year-old business afloat. We checked in with the couple to see how …

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Ristorante Barolo Celebrates 'Restaurant: Impossible' Debut

The Aptos restaurant, made over in February, threw a party to celebrate their episode's first showing on Food Network Wednesday.

A crowd of eager guests packed the newly-renovated Ristorante Barolo on Wednesday night to watch the local establishment make a special appearance on Food Network's "Restaurant: Impossible." More than 75 people showed up to support owners Christina Locke and Giovanni Guerisoli's party for the nationally-televised episode on the restaurant. The bar was decorated with balloons and a large projection screen was set up in the main dining room to view the episode. On the back patio they set up paintings of Bob Marley, Albert Einstein, Carlos Santana and the Rat Pack by painter Milo Buck. Guests were even treated to a fire dance show put on by Locke’s daughter Andrea Locke, who works for the Lunar Flame Fire-Art Productions. But it wouldn’t be a…

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Viewing the Solar Eclipse on the Central Coast

Before sunset Sunday, the Earth's moon will pass in front of the sun, casting a giant shadow across the land.

A solar eclipse is expected to be visible across much of the western U.S. on Sunday, and the view from Capitola-Soquel should be magical. In the hours before sunset on Sunday, the Earth's moon will pass in front of the sun—the eclipse will be between 5:24 p.m. and 7:42 p.m. The last solar eclipse visible in the U.S. was in 1994. In California, Sunday's eclipse is the most extensive since 1992, according to the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. NASA warns that people should never observe a solar eclipse with the naked eye, only through filtered telescopes and special glasses. To learn more about the eclipse, visit NASA's website. If you want to do it up and watch through a big telescope, the Fremont Peak Observatory Association in San …

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