Council Defers Half a Million in Fees for New Hotel, Approves Budget
Santa Cruz County accommodation providers are anticipating a banner year. Yet with building costs soaring, in order to get shovels in the ground, the owner of a previously-approved Marriott project in Scotts Valley looked to the city council for a break on the fee...
Mountain music in the key of life
When Sydney Gorham was five years old, she started her first business, “Sydney’s Outdoor Chore Service.” The tiny entrepreneur waddled throughout her San Jose neighborhood with a bucket of cleaning supplies and a stack of handmade business cards in hand; Gorham went door-to-door and...
SLVUSD to use $25-million bond for school upgrades
Over the past year, the financial world has been playing the big guessing game of what will happen to interest rates as authorities seek to calm inflation without causing too much pain. School officials had been zoned-in for just such an exercise here in...
Housing woes hit home for San Lorenzo Valley seniors
The end of the month seemed to approach faster than usual for Shirli McLaughlin. The 76-year-old Felton resident, a longtime Ben Lomond shopkeeper, was told her current rental was being sold.
“It’s an important word, ‘home’—don’t you think?” she asked rhetorically, May 27. “That, and...
City Gives $250K In Pandemic Aid To Local Small Businesses
Scotts Valley Administrative Services Director Casey Estorga described the awarding of a quarter-million-dollars in pandemic aid to several local businesses as “the ending point of a very long journey.”
In introducing the item during the April 20 Scotts Valley City Council meeting, he took a...
Felton Springing Into Season With Sidewalk Sale This Saturday
The Downtown Felton Association is welcoming people from around the region to the 2nd Annual Downtown Felton Spring Sidewalk Sale & Open House Saturday.
Christy Shults, the director of the organization, said the event, which runs from noon to 6pm, is a continuation of programming...
Ben Lomond Business Revels in History
According to a historical inventory application, the Hessey House, aka the “pink house” at the southern entrance to Ben Lomond, is the oldest business/residence in the village.
The story of the building, built by Thomas Hessey after he moved to town in the 1890s, tells...
Scotts Valley Ballroom Dance Studio Welcomes Interested Students
Back in July 2021, when the Press Banner reported that Richard Myers and his wife Marianne were planning to open a ballroom dance studio in Scotts Valley, the pandemic appeared to be waning.
There was a sense of eagerness at their Arthur Murray location in...
Tell Us Who Is The Best of The Best
Since launching Faves & Raves in 2007, the Press Banner has sought to highlight the best establishments in Scotts Valley and the San Lorenzo Valley. This year, we make the pivot to the Best of Scotts Valley and San Lorenzo Valley, determined by the...
County’s Cannabis Tax Revenues See Major Drop
Santa Cruz County is seeing a decline in its cannabis industry, with tax revenues falling far short of projections for the 2021-22 fiscal year.
County officials say that current revenues of $1.68 million are lagging behind projections by more than $1 million, and by $1.6...
Cleanup ongoing after storm hits Santa Cruz Mountains
About 17,000 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers across the county were out of power on Wednesday as Department of Transportation (Caltrans) crews worked...