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The other day I visited three local nurseries to see what’s new in their bare root edible selection. In addition to the classics, I found a ton of new varieties for containers and smaller home gardens.  Now is the time to add ornamentals and edibles...

Ben Lomond resident Krista Scarborough, whose family owns Scarborough Lumber, spent the first few weeks of 2023 questioning whether the ever-intensifying weather systems could fairly be compared with the historic storms 41 years ago that killed 33 people.  “When it first started, I was downplaying...

Jeannette Kornher, owner of Kitten Kornher Rescue in Boulder Creek, carted her cats from home—like Hootenanny—to shelter at her storefront along Highway 9 with the others—such as Grayson the shop cat.  “I just brought them up here to keep them safe,” Kornher said Jan. 12,...

As torrential rain, unsteady trees and sagging power lines came down, the line of customers snaked out the door of Boulder Creek Pizza & Pub (BCPP). Families with young children and folks eager for a little warmth and human connection gathered at the restaurant Jan....

On Jan. 14, Scotts Valley joined other local jurisdictions when City Manager Mali LaGoe issued a Proclamation declaring a local emergency, to be ratified by the City Council. This declaration was based on the presence of flooding, downed trees, power outages, retaining wall failures,...

Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors recently approved a plan aimed at improving emergency response planning and communication in the Loma Prieta area of the Santa Cruz Mountains, a community that straddles the Santa Cruz and Santa Clara County lines. Earlier, in November, Supervisor Joe...

Scotts Valley issued an emergency order this weekend after another mudslide closed Green Hills Road and storms shut down Highway 17 and took out Glenwood Drive. This announcement followed the County of Santa Cruz proclaiming an emergency Jan. 3. “Overall, Scotts Valley fared better than so...

So many power outages these days. I’ve needed to set up a portable propane heater as well as start a fire in the fireplace to keep warm. I know even with ventilation there are lots of potential pollutants that have found their way into...

In the face of massive storms, Helena Powell’s home on Quail Drive at Pine Flat Road hasn’t been impacted as badly as some, but she still had her hands full. On Tuesday afternoon, Powell stood beside a large pine tree that used to be rooted...

I was in the kitchen adding eggs to the batter in my Mixmaster when the lights began to blink, that tell-tale sign that our lights were about to go off here in Ben Lomond. I turned up the mixer’s speed, trying to outrun PG&E,...