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With high hopes of taming growing retirement costs, Scotts Valley City Council adopted a new pension-funding policy, during its regularly scheduled meeting Dec. 7. After months of review, elected officials agreed to select a so-called Section 115 Trust, which is designed to generate returns without...

A Scotts Valley man who defrauded investors through a medical-technology-financing scheme has been sentenced to four months in custody. Jason Nielsen, a man in his late 40s who pleaded guilty earlier this year, also received three years of supervised release and a $50,000 fine, Oct....

The blouse was grey, and the most beautiful blouse that this little 8-year-old girl had ever seen in her short lifetime. The blouse had ruffles on its sleeves and a ruffled ascot at its neckline; I couldn’t take my eyes off the blouse that...

We all have traditions that we look forward to every year during the holidays. For some it’s the annual trip to the Christmas tree farm. For others it’s planning a holiday get-together with friends and family. While decorating my tree this year I thought...

Students from Scotts Valley and San Lorenzo Valley are making important contributions to United Way research and leadership projects, says the director of community impact for the organization, which was just awarded more than $800,000 to curb youth drug use. Three or four North County...

If you’ve visited the new trails at San Vicente Redwoods or witnessed the rebuilding of Big Basin’s accessibility, you have the good people with Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship (SCMTS) to thank.  Founded in 1997, and initially known as the “Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz,”...

I have a cat named Archer. He’s a little too vocal sometimes but thankfully, he doesn’t chew on plants. If he did or if small children were about during the holidays I’d be sure to put some of my holiday plants out of their...

Jacob Pauka is the kind of kid most parents would love to call their own, and most coaches would love to recruit.  Before attending Scotts Valley High School, this student owned the baseball diamond, leading the Pony League in batting average (.700) and clocking 14...

The Community Holiday Tree next to Walgreens in Scotts Valley is now illuminated, and families across the region have plenty of memories to share, following the successful Light Up the Night festivities Dec. 3 at the Scotts Valley Community Center. Corinne Coleman, a teacher at...

Efforts to help homeless people in the North County got a boost this week when a Santa Cruz bar held a Giving Tuesday fundraiser for a Boulder Creek nonprofit. The Free Guide, one of the groups behind the Veterans Village in Ben Lomond, was the...