News Briefs

News briefs
Press-Banner
 
Halloween festival auction returns
The Regional Artisans Association will hold the third annual Halloween Sidewalk Festival and Silent Auction from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26.
Admission is free and the festival will be located throughout the back of Kings Village Shopping Center at 230 Mount Hermon Road in Scotts Valley. The fest is co-hosted by Scotts Valley Artisans, Choi’s Tae Kwon Do, Jesse Gabriel Photography and Bruno’s BBQ.
Items donated to the silent auction include artwork from local artists, Disneyland passes and more than 100 other contributions. Local winery 37th Parallel will offer tastings and wine by-the-glass while entertainment will include live music and tarot card readings.
Proceeds will benefit the RAA programs: Mural-in-a-Day, SantaCruzArtists.com, Scotts Valley Artisans and Art in Public Places. The organization hopes this event will increase the market for the large population of local artists by branding Santa Cruz as an art destination and expanding the art infrastructure in the area.
For information call 439- 9094 or visit www.scottsvalleyartisans.com
 
Prescription drug take-back approaches
The Scotts Valley Police Department will take back unwanted prescription medications from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 at the police department, 1 Civic Center Drive in Scotts Valley.
Locals can drop off expired and unwanted prescription drugs for free, with no questions asked. The service is offered through a partnership between the department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
For information: 440-5670.
 
DVD offered for stutterers
Santa Cruz Main Public Library and Watsonville Public Library have recently began to offer a DVD to educate the public about stuttering. The DVD helps kids who stutter and offers support to those with the disability. The DVD titled “Stuttering: For Kids By Kids”  was designed by students at Purdue University and released by the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation.
Children who stutter are featured in the DVD along with their honest recounts of how they handled their disability in situations such as talking in class and being bullied.
Stuttering specialists and professionals also offer insights.
“All those interested in helping kids learn more about stuttering will want to see this tape,” speech-language pathologist Bill Murphy of Purdue University said in a press release.  Libraries that are willing to shelf this DVD may contact the Stuttering Foundation at 800-992-9392 or e-mail in**@************lp.org.
 
– To comment or submit information for brief news items, e-mail pb******@*********er.com or post a comment on www.pressbanner.com.