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When the rock-opera musical “Rent” first opened in New York City in 1996, it wasn’t quite the celebration many had imagined. The show’s creator, Jonathan Larson, had died suddenly just a day before the show’s Off-Broadway premiere, leaving friends and the theater world devastated. Despite this, the production eventually did open. It then went on to be one of the most groundbreaking and longest-running musicals to ever hit Broadway.

Rudy Escalante is shown in 2012 as the new Capitola Police Chief. Escalante was recently named the CEO of Janus of Santa Cruz. File photo by Tarmo Hannula

For more than three decades Ana Ortega has been making folks happy. As the owner of Ana’s Flowers, a modest flower tent adjoining the long-standing Capitola Produce, she has thrown her talent and keen eye into making dazzling flower arrangements for everyone from everyday passersby to grand-scale events.

“The Producers,” a musical comedy based on Mel Brooks’ award-winning 1967 film, will run at Cabrillo College’s Crocker Theater through Aug. 19 as part of Cabrillo Stage’s Summer Musical Festival.

When the Capitola Begonia Festival wrapped up its 65-year run in 2017, many in the community refused to let it go.

Community Bridges, which provides dozens of services for children, adults and seniors throughout Santa Cruz County, is moving to Watsonville. The 41-year-old organization runs family resource centers, nutrition programs and programs for seniors such as Elderday and Meals on Wheels. But it does so from its Aptos headquarters. Meanwhile, La Manzana Community Resources is centered in Watsonville, offering parenting education, health insurance enrollment assistance and literacy programs. Also at that location is the Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC), which offers services for pregnant and nursing women and infants.

A San Jose man is in custody after he shot a man in front of a Soquel business March 7 and then tried to outrun police in his vehicle, police said. Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Sgt. Stefan Fish said the victim was shot three times in the Safeway parking lot on 41st Avenue at 4:45 p.m. He reportedly had an infant child in the car with him but the child was not hurt, Sgt. Brian Cleveland said.