Jake Thomas
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Articles by Jake Thomas
Oregon’s corrections ombuds lags behind other states despite problems facing its prison system
On paper, Oregon’s Office of Corrections Ombudsman looks like the most powerful position in state government you’ve never heard of. State law gives the ombuds broad authority to investigate the prison system for corruption or prisoner abuse, including subpoenaing records and compelling staff to give sworn testimony. The ombuds can make prison officials explain their decisions. If the ombuds thinks state law is hurting prisoners, they’re required to bring those concerns to lawmakers.
Cabrillo Theatre Arts’ Robin Aronson directs an artful and relevant ‘Machinal’
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Do we have free will? What is sex without love? What would drive a woman to murder her husband? These are a few of the heavy questions posed by Sophie Treadwell’s compelling 1928 play “Machinal.” Under Robin Aronson’s expert direction, the talented Cabrillo College Theatre Arts cast bring new life to the philosophical questions posed in this 98-year-old play, and gives them a disturbing and timely resonance.
All About Theatre doubles down on imagination with ‘Matilda the Musical’ in Santa Cruz
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... All About Theatre’s Artistic Director Lindsey Chester has a vision for the youth in Santa Cruz County — she wants them to grow into resilient, imaginative and skillful young artists. This Friday, “Matilda the Musical” opens at the Colligan Theater in Santa Cruz and will showcase the creativity of a large cast of youth actors.
Radius Gallery presents exhibition of pottery and portraiture with ‘The Mug’
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Ann Hazels and Janet Fine’s curatorial collaboration at Radius Gallery in Santa Cruz plays with the double entendre of “The Mug” as a functional ceramic object and the portrait of a person’s face. This wildly interesting group-show combines potters and portraitists in a multimedia extravaganza that is a feast for the senses and the mind.
Good Egg Productions presents staged reading of ‘Destiny’s Birthright’
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Each generation needs new voices to explore what it means to be young. Good Egg Productions is highlighting an exciting new play written by an internet native and Santa Cruz local. Isaac Ludington is presenting his play “Destiny’s Birthright” as part of Good Egg Production’s Local Playwrights Staged Reading Series Nov. 21.
AM Research and Cantor to Host 6th Annual ‘AM Investment Strategies’ Webcast Focused on the 3D Printing Market
All the Formnext prep you need! aminvestmentstrategies.com Pre-Cursor to Additive Manufacturing Strategies 2027 in New York City NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, October 28, 2026 / EINPresswire.com / -- Additive Manufacturing Research (“AM Research”) & Cantor Fitzgerald invite you to join ‘ AM Investment Strategies ’, in a special one-hour online roundtable diving into the business environment and competitive landscape for the 3D printing industry.
Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre delivers spine-tingling horror with ‘Feathers and Teeth’
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Have you been a habitué of haunted houses, a spectator of spookiness or a fan of the feeling of horror? If you possess a penchant for delving into darkness, then the new Halloween production at Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre should be on your list of fun things to do this October.
Cabrillo College Theatre Arts prepares to present expressionist theater with ‘Machinal’
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Have you ever heard of Sophie Treadwell? Director Robin Aronson is determined to bring attention to this prolific playwright, and this effort begins with Cabrillo College Theatre Arts’ upcoming production of Treadwell’s most famous play “Machinal.” Treadwell was a playwright, journalist, suffragette, war correspondent and novelist. Aronson has a cast of actors ready to bring her expressionist vision to life.
Miguel Reyna to present another Halloween horror with ‘Feathers and Teeth’
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre is set to open its fourth annual Halloween-themed production Friday with “Feathers and Teeth,” a horror play written by Charise Castro Smith, co-writer of the Disney movie “Encanto.” Miguel Reyna returns as director of a play he promises will be like nothing you have seen in theater before.
SH Theatricals presents thoughtful, deeply felt ‘Gross Indecency’
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Dramatic irony is when the audience knows more about the outcome of the events in a play than the characters do, like in “Romeo and Juliet,” when we know that Juliet is faking her death but Romeo thinks she has passed away. Verbal irony is when words are used to convey meaning opposite of what they usually denote, like when a teenager sarcastically quips that they would love to do the dishes.
Oregon retreats from enforcing landmark trans health care coverage mandate Original
Three years after Oregon lawmakers passed a law requiring insurers to cover transgender medical services, state regulators have quietly delayed their efforts to ensure the law is making a difference for a group that’s long faced barriers to care. The paused oversight stems from financial uncertainty facing Medicaid and the Trump administration’s intensifying attacks on gender-affirming care.
Santa Cruz Film Festival brings filmmakers and fun to town
From Oct. 14-18, Santa Cruz is set to become a center of the independent film world as film screenings, panel discussions, Q&As with actors and directors, and after parties are on the schedule. For lovers of film, this is a celebration not to be missed. The Sentinel had the chance to sit down with Logan Walker, who has been the festival's programming director since 2014.
San Lorenzo Valley High School stages an impactful production of ‘The Outsiders’
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... S. E. Hinton wrote her most famous novel “The Outsiders” while she was still in high school, and it was published in 1967. She wrote the book in an effort to get people to change their minds about a group of students at her school who were called Greasers, and she chose to use her initials S. E. instead of her name Susan Eloise because people might not take the book about gang fights as seriously if they thought it was written by a girl.
Santa Cruz Film Festival brings filmmakers and fun to town
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... From Oct. 14-18, Santa Cruz is set to become a center of the independent film world as film screenings, panel discussions, Q&As with actors and directors, and after parties are on the schedule. For lovers of film, this is a celebration not to be missed. The Sentinel had the chance to sit down with Logan Walker, who has been the festival’s programming director since 2014.
Locks - what do you use?
Forum Categories All Rental Property Investor · Grand Rapids, MI · Member since 2017 · 113 posts · 91 votes Most Popular Reply SFR Investor · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2009 · 484 posts · 181 votes 9y See this reply in the discussion SFR Investor · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2009 · 484 posts · 181 votes 9y Investor · Savannah, GA · Member since 2016 · 79 posts · 62 votes 9y Realtor/Investor · Richmond (Houston), TX · Member since 2014 · 109 posts · 50 votes 9y Kwikset Smartly.
The Stage presents a riveting version of Bess Wohl's 'Barcelona' in San Jose
Nestled in the heart of the SOFA District (South First Street Area), San Jose Stage Company opened its 44th season last weekend with the Bay Area premiere of Bess Wohl's “Barcelona.” The physical layout of The Stage features a three-quarter thrust style stage with an occupancy of 200. This means that the theater's seating wraps around the stage on three sides with only a backdrop blocking the backstage. This arrangement positions the audience in close proximity for maximum intimacy.
VHS is 50. Is your media plan stuck on rewind?
Opinion The smartest media plan isn’t necessarily the one that looks most like last year’s. It’s the one that best reflects how your audience behaves today, Snapchat’s general manager UK writes. It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years since the first VHS recorder went on sale. I can still remember the ritual of family movie night. Putting the tape into the player, settling down in front of a slightly grainy picture and, of course, rewinding it when you were done. Now it feels wonderfully nostalgic.
SH Theatricals set to open ‘Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde’
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Opening Oct. 9 at the Santa Cruz Veterans Memorial Building in downtown Santa Cruz, SH Theatricals will be presenting a play about the famous Irish poet, novelist and playwright Oscar Wilde. Wilde was at the height of his literary fame when he entered into a legal situation that would consume the rest of his life. Why would Wilde sacrifice his career to take on this legal battle? What motivated him to intervene on behalf of his lover Lord Alfred Douglas?
How to Pick Natural Chews for Your Dog
Walk into almost any pet shop today and you’ll find shelves lined with natural chews. And it’s easy to understand the appeal: Many pet parents want products with simple ingredients, fewer artificial materials, and a longer lifespan. Natural chews often seem to tick all those boxes, but that doesn’t mean they’re all right for your dog. Understanding the differences between natural chews for your dog can help you make safer, more informed decisions.
Size-dependent plastic exposure disrupts macrophage function and tissue-specific metabolism
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Science 12 hours ago Venting Doesn't Reduce Anger, But Something Else Does, Research Finds ScienceAlert - Russell McLendon • 12h Venting when angry seems a sensible option. Conventional wisdom suggests that expressing anger can help us quell it, like releasing steam from a … Lifestyle 1 hour ago Dermatologists Say You Don’t Need All New Fall Skin Care—Just These 9 Year-Round Staples Real Simple - Nina Derwin • 1h Including brands like CeraVe, EltaMD, Neutrogena, and more.
By Nikola Makdissi, Maria Viola, Lisa Maria Steinheuer, Nelli Blank-Stein, Ronja Kardinal, Fabrizio Musacchio, Eliana Franco Taveras, Katharina Sieckmann, Akram Abdulkadyrov, Marina Mayer Verified, Marie-Louise Diefenbach-Wilke, Diana Fink, Stefan Böhmdorfer, Quentin Deveuve, Frederike Graelmann, Katharina Mauel, Jake Thomas Verified, David Bejarano, Andreas Schlitzer, Sandra Högler, Mohamed H. Yaghmour, Joerg Heeren, Christoph Thiele, Lukas Kenner, Felix Meissner, Falk Nimmerjahn, Martin Fuhrmann, Dagmar Wachten, Kevin Thurley, Elvira Mass, Virginia Aliprandi, Hannes Beckert, Nele Kronau
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Size-dependent plastic exposure disrupts macrophage function and tissue-specific metabolism
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Abstract Plastic pollution is an emerging yet understudied environmental risk to the immune system. Once ingested, microplastic and nanoplastic particles (MNPs) can translocate from the gut to internal organs1,2,3, with macrophages serving as primary targets4. Kupffer cells (KCs), the liver-resident macrophages, have a central role in immune surveillance and metabolism5, yet their response to MNPs remains unclear. Here we identify KCs as the primary hepatic reservoir for MNPs in young male mice.
By Nikola Makdissi, Maria Viola, Lisa Maria Steinheuer, Nelli Blank-Stein, Ronja Kardinal, Fabrizio Musacchio, Eliana Franco Taveras, Virginia Aliprandi, Katharina Sieckmann, Akram Abdulkadyrov, Marina Mayer Verified, Marie-Louise Diefenbach-Wilke, Diana Fink, Hannes Beckert, Stefan Böhmdorfer, Quentin Deveuve, Frederike Graelmann, Katharina Mauel, Nele Kronau, Jake Thomas Verified, David Bejarano, Andreas Schlitzer, Sandra Högler, Mohamed H. Yaghmour, Joerg Heeren, Christoph Thiele, Lukas Kenner, Felix Meissner, Falk Nimmerjahn, Martin Fuhrmann, Dagmar Wachten, Kevin Thurley, Elvira Mass
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Nature
Verified
Oregon’s magic mushroom industry fights higher fees and wins
Oregon regulators have backed off pursuing sizable fee increases on the state’s magic mushroom businesses after dire warnings from the legal psilocybin industry that it would buckle under the added costs. The Oregon Health Authority announced Tuesday that it would not adopt a proposed doubling of the annual licensing fees for businesses across the psilocybin supply chain while eliminating discounts for veterans and low-income people.
Oregon Psilocybin Businesses Celebrate As State Officials Rescind Proposed Fee Hikes
“This was an industry fighting for its survival, and it really came together. This is a profound thing.” By Jake Thomas, Oregon Capital Chronicle State regulators have backed off pursuing sizable fee increases on Oregon’s magic mushroom businesses after dire warnings from the legal psilocybin industry that it would buckle under the added costs.
Scotts Valley Performing Arts produces heartwarming 'Annie'
When the musical “Annie” opens, 27 orphans overflow the stage in a theatrical flood of melancholic cuteness. Their presence is stunning, both as actors and as the characters they represent. Without warning, suddenly, there they are. It is no surprise, the story is well known, and yet it is shocking to bear witness to a collective of adorable children who are portraying the lives of disenfranchised youth.
Mountain Community Theater’s ‘Rumors’ is a glamorous, funny time
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... MarNae Taylor has succeeded in creating an altogether pleasing production of Neil Simon’s comedy “Rumors” for Mountain Community Theater in Ben Lomond. According to the Samuel French Inc. script, the play was originally “produced by the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, California. It opened on September 22nd, 1988.” Shortly thereafter it traveled to Broadway to entertain tourists and Manhattanites during peak “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” years.
Scotts Valley Performing Arts produces heartwarming ‘Annie’
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... When the musical “Annie” opens, 27 orphans overflow the stage in a theatrical flood of melancholic cuteness. Their presence is stunning, both as actors and as the characters they represent. Without warning, suddenly, there they are. It is no surprise, the story is well known, and yet it is shocking to bear witness to a collective of adorable children who are portraying the lives of disenfranchised youth.
Shakespeare’s ‘Henry IV’ reimagined as professional wrestling in ‘HenryMania IV’
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Josephine Czarnecki is the creative force behind one of this year’s most interesting productions. Czarnecki’s company, Gay Innocent Heartless Theatrics, has spearheaded an ambitious and audacious version of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV,” reimagined within the world of professional wrestling in “HenryMania IV.” Czarnecki has the bona fides to back it up, too.
QUANTUM + AI 2026 CONFERENCE AND EXHIBIT OCTOBER 25-27 TO BE LARGEST WORLDWIDE EVENT COVERING THE CONVERGENCE OF Q+AI
Q+AI 3.0 takes place Oct 25-27 in NYC. iqtevent.ai The 3rd iteration of Q+AI NYC Oct 25-27. 85+ speakers from industry, government & academia over 3 days. PQC focus Oct 26. Locations: 36 Battery Place, NY NY. NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, September 22, 2026 / EINPresswire.com/ -- The third iteration of Quantum + AI (Q+AI 3.0) takes place in New York City October 25-27. 85+ speakers from industry, government and academia are presenting over three days.
Chris Cherin, Charlotte Boyce Munson deliver moving performances in 'The Last 5 Years'
“The Last 5 Years,” a Santa Cruz Shakespeare production, starts with a deeply felt pain. In the opening song “Still Hurting,” Charlotte Boyce Munson's crystal-clear voice plunges into the icy agony of her failed marriage. Their union is finished, and Catherine is tormented by the conflicting emotions of rage and despair. Her sense of failure has enveloped her, leaving her feeling betrayed, victim to her ex-husband's decisions. She has no sense of direction, no agency and no hope.
Chris Cherin, Charlotte Boyce Munson deliver moving performances in ‘The Last 5 Years’
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... “The Last 5 Years,” a Santa Cruz Shakespeare production, starts with a deeply felt pain. In the opening song “Still Hurting,” Charlotte Boyce Munson’s crystal-clear voice plunges into the icy agony of her failed marriage. Their union is finished, and Catherine is tormented by the conflicting emotions of rage and despair. Her sense of failure has enveloped her, leaving her feeling betrayed, victim to her ex-husband’s decisions.
Mountain Community Theater prepares to open Neil Simon’s ‘Rumors’
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Walking inside of the Park Hall in Ben Lomond, I was immediately impressed by the bright and stylish set. The creative team has transformed the stage into the living room of a well-to-do couple in New York. Mountain Community Theater is preparing to present its premiere of Neil Simon’s “Rumors” this weekend, and the Sentinel visited during a rehearsal to get the scoop on the upcoming show. The Sentinel spoke with director MarNae Taylor and most of the cast.
Jordan Best shines as ‘The Girl of the Golden West’
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... It was a veritable “Best fest” Friday night at the Colligan Theater for the Santa Cruz opening of “The Girl of the Golden West.” Jordan Best is a Santa Cruz-based teacher, actor and opera singer, and this show puts her considerable skills on full display.
Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s ‘Private Lives’ is a superbly witty comedy
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Santa Cruz Shakespeare is great at staging plays overflowing with luxurious language expertly vocalized by talented cast members who are undaunted by the demands of these verbally dextrous roles. The cast of this year’s production of Noël Coward’s “Private Lives,” directed by Laura Gordon, is a dream team of great actors. Charles Pasternak and Paige Lindsey White play Elyot and Amanda, a couple who divorced five years prior to the start of the play.
Santa Cruz Shakespeare readies production of ‘The Last Five Years’
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The end of a meaningful relationship is similar to experiencing a death, and, as with grieving the passing of someone important, the experience of romantic loss can involve the end of something about yourself. Jason Robert Browne’s musical “The Last Five Years” explores this theme through a creative narrative frame and with gorgeous music. On Sept.
El Teatro Campesino delivers stunning family drama with ‘Mummified Deer’
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Imagine you lived during Shakespeare’s time and loved theater but never saw one of his plays performed at the Globe in London. I put an end to an analogous situation last weekend when I visited El Teatro Campesino in San Juan Bautista to experience a play written by Luis Valdez, the Chicano Shakespeare, in the theater he founded.
Democracy by Lot
Brenda Gail Hudson said her story shows how easy it is to fall into homelessness. The youngest of five kids, she grew up in a loving home in Arkansas that ate dinner together every night at five o’clock. But her life began to fall apart when her father collapsed to the ground one night and died from a heart attack as she held him in her arms. Then fifteen years old, she was sent to live with a relative in California, where she said she got hooked on drugs and alcohol.
SH Theatricals’ production of ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’ is alive with language, wit
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... M. C. Escher’s famous lithograph “Relativity” features an architectural space that is correct as a study of perspective but impossible in terms of physics. A stairway leads to a landing that is simultaneously the underside of another floor. You can orient the drawing in any four of the possible ways to view it and some of the images will look upright. Tom Stoppard’s play “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” follows a similar disorienting logic.
All About Theatre’s ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ is beautifully staged, well acted
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... It was overwhelmingly evident opening weekend that the creative team behind All About Theatre’s production of “Dear Evan Hansen” poured their love, energy and talent into this praise-worthy musical. Every detail was polished, placed and purposeful. From the scenic design with 14 flat screens to a six-piece orchestra accompanying the singing, it was a multimedia sensation. While the creative design was grand, it only enhanced the dramatic action of the play.
Mountain Community Theater presents 8 short plays for ‘New Works Weekend’
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... This weekend, Mountain Community Theater will be presenting its annual New Works Weekend festival, featuring eight 10-minute plays written by local playwrights. Hannah Eckstein is directing the event, and the Sentinel caught up with her to talk about acting with Johnny Depp, writing about elephants and traveling in Africa, among other things. Q: How did you come to be directing this series? Eckstein: I was very lucky.
Rita Dove presents new poem written for Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music finale
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Sunday night, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music held its grand finale event “Hope as Our Banner” at the Civic Auditorium in downtown Santa Cruz. A full house was in attendance as contemporary compositions were performed by an orchestra under the direction of Cristian Măcelaru.
SH Theatricals to present ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’ at Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two characters in Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet,” who are invited to visit the castle by Hamlet’s recently widowed mother and his uncle (to whom she hastily married) in order to inquire into the state of his mental well-being, or lack thereof.
The Life Time Leadville Race Series and PACT Outdoors Are Making It Easier For Runners To Do The Right Thing
Entering their second year of partnership PACT Outdoors and the Life Time Leadville Race Series are setting a new standard for human waste management at one of trail running's most iconic events GUNNISON, CO, August 11, 2026 /OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – When more than 1,000 runners and crew members converge on Leadville, Colorado each August for the Life Time Leadville Trail 100 Run presented by La Sportiva, they bring with them everything a 100-mile mountain ultramarathon demands, including the...
Oregon universal health care board punts single-payer report over funding uncertainty - The Portland Tribune
A state board in charge of developing a universal health plan for all Oregonians will delay the release of its final report to lawmakers, citing uncertainty over how to pay for it. The Universal Health Plan Governance Board voted unanimously Thursday morning to extend its deadline to Dec.
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