Free Republic

The driver who drove off the Santa Cruz Wharf on Sunday morning has been identified. The coroner's office identified him as William Westerman, 65, of Scotts Valley. Westerman died after being rescued from his vehicle in the water. According to the Santa Cruz Fire Department, crews from multiple agencies responded to reports of the incident at 9:44 a.m. A dog that was also in the vehicle was rescued and is expected to survive. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Days after a huge section of the Santa Cruz wharf collapsed into the ocean, closing the wharf indefinitely, engineers are now on the scene inspecting the structural integrity of the wharf to determine whether it’s safe to reopen. "We are undertaking a very thorough analysis of the structural stability of the entire wharf from end to end and from right to left," Santa Cruz mayor Fred Keeley said. The wharf was shut down immediately following Monday’s incident. Seventeen stores and restaurants have shut down, leaving businesses and employees wondering when they can reopen. "They're just wondering when they can get...

The Capitola Wharf will celebrate its grand reopening on Wednesday after being rebuilt following its destruction in a winter storm last year. "It looked very much like this, and so we're very sensitive to wanting to make sure we kept that look," said Gerry Jensen a fundraiser coordinator. The new gate at the wharf is wider, with shorter columns and glistening mosaic artwork, made possible by an excess in community donations. The fundraiser aimed to enhance the wharf's features. "We were trying to raise $250,000, but we raised $425,000, and that's just because of the messaging from our group to...

Scientists discover ancient sea wharf 30/12/2004 7:32 Archeologists say that they have found the country's oldest wharf and it is believed to be the starting point of an ancient sea route to Central and West Asia. The discovery has reaffirmed the widespread belief that the ancient trade route started in Hepu County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, archeologists said at yesterday's symposium on the nation's marine silk road. After three years of excavation, archeologists have unearthed a wharf that is at least 2,000 years old in Guchengtou Village, according to Xiong Zhaoming, head of the archeological team. At the same site,...