New briefs

Highway 17, 1 interchange complete
The landscaping work along the Highway 1-Highway 17 interchange in Santa Cruz — more than 4,000 trees, shrubs and vines — marks the completion of the interchange work that started in 2006.
Included in the landscaping are 450 locally propagated coast redwood trees of different varieties.
Future Highway 1 plans include an auxiliary lane between Morrissey Avenue and Soquel Drive and an 8-mile high-occupancy vehicle lane between Santa Cruz and Aptos. These areas often see bottlenecked traffic during the day.
Mount Hermon Road closure canceled
A two-day closure of Mount Hermon Road between Graham Hill Road and Covenant Lane that had been scheduled for Nov. 9 and 10 was canceled by Santa Cruz County Public Works. The department was able to gather the information it needed without closing the road.
Grocery store raises $5K for schools
As part of the annual eScrip 10 percent Back to Schools program, the Felton Safeway raised $5,537.86 for San Lorenzo Valley High School.
Safeway workers encouraged shoppers to participate in the fundraiser.
Planning department to host forums
To teach people about what the Santa Cruz County Planning Department does, the agency will host a series of meetings open to the public.
The meetings will help explain recent efforts to clarify development regulation and streamline the permit process, as well as find out what else people think should be improved.
The meetings will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, at Valley Church Kennedy Center, 2401 E. Lake Ave., in Watsonville and at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18, at Simpkins Family Swim Center, 979 17th Ave., in Live Oak.
For information: Kathy Previsich, planning director, 454-3136.
Free CHP class for teen drivers
The California Highway Patrol is registering local young people for a free class to help new drivers.
The Start Smart Program helps teenage drivers and their parents understand how poor choices behind the wheel can touch the lives of many people. Information on defensive driving, traffic laws, the dynamics of traffic collisions, avoiding collisions and DUI awareness will be included.
The class will begin at 6 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Santa Cruz Police Department, 155 Center St., in Santa Cruz.
For information: Officer Sarah Jackson, 662-0511.
SLV seeks bond oversight member
San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District is looking for a citizen-at-large to serve on the Measure O bond oversight committee, to replace someone who resigned. The committee consists of seven members who serve two-year terms. Its purpose is to inform the public of how the money from Measure O, an $18.9 million bond measure voters passed in 2008, is spent.
The San Lorenzo Valley High School Library is under construction using funds from the bond.
Applications for the position are available at the district office, 325 Marion Ave., in Ben Lomond. The deadline for applications is 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19.
For information: www.slv.k12.ca.us/measure_O.html.
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