SLVUSD faces decline in funding
San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District used to teach just under 2,300 students a year, but that’s dropped to around 2,100.
And, unlike in such districts as Los Gatos-Saratoga, where residents pitch in directly through property taxes, SLVUSD gets government education funding based on how...
As Energy Bills Soar, Companies Suggest Ways to Save
Just as Bay Area gasoline prices have finally dipped below the $4 a gallon line at select stations, after rising above $7 a gallon at some pumps this summer, home-heating costs are rising.
However, as the icy breath of winter nips at the necks of...
One Found Dead in Burning Car Along Pacific Coast Highway
First responders raced along Pacific Coast Highway, Dec. 14 around 6pm, as flames shot above a car sitting motionless at an oceanside turnout north of Scott Creek in Swanton.
When firefighters and the California Highway Patrol arrived, they found a dead body inside the four-door...
Reversing Vehicle Hits and Kills Davenport Woman
A 76-year-old Davenport pedestrian was killed Dec. 16 after she was struck by a fellow community member’s vehicle at Swanton Road, just east of Pacific Coast Highway.
The incident occurred around 3pm as a 77-year-old male driver, also from Davenport, was reversing a 2002 Ford...
The Mountain Gardener | A Christmas Poem
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the garden,The creatures were stirring, the deer got a pardon. The hummingbird feeders were hung by the chimney with care,In hopes that the Anna's soon would be there.
The flowering cherries were nestled all snug in their beds,While...
Council Paves Way for Scotts Valley’s First-Ever ‘Mixed-Use’ Development
When you exit Highway 17 at the offramp to downtown Scotts Valley and look to your right upon arrival at the Welcome sign, you’ll see a sloping field ringed by trees, a gas station and residential subdivisions.
But a new gateway to the community has...
Scotts Valley Approves Retirement-Fund Strategy
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...
Scotts Valley Man Gets 4-Month Sentence for Fraud
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 Grey Christmas Blouse
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...
Tracing Our Holiday Traditions
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...
$7M boost ignites forest resilience in Santa Cruz Mountains
Resource Conservation District (RCD) of Santa Cruz County has secured a $7 million Forest Health Grant from Cal Fire to implement an ambitious, regionally...