News Briefs

Felton man to be tried for murder
Richard Arthur Chavez of Felton will stand trial for homicide, a judge ruled Monday, July 26.
Chavez is accused of killing Deanna Dudley, 37, during an argument at their home on Rose Acres Lane on Feb. 28.
The 41-year-old Chavez is accused of bludgeoning Dudley in the back of the head with a flashlight during an argument about watching the Winter Olympics. Reports indicate that he was intoxicated at the time.
Chavez will return to court Aug. 9 to set a date for the trial. He is held in Santa Cruz County Jail.
Water district launches landscape design contest
The Scotts Valley Water District is accepting proposals for its Water-Smart Landscape Challenge. Landscape designers can enter the challenge to design a sustainable, water-efficient garden for the area surrounding the water district office, 2 Civic Center Drive.
The garden will help educate the community on the importance of conserving water outdoors and also allow landscape designers to show how a water-efficient landscape can be beautiful and creative.
Select landscape professionals will judge the entries, and the winning designer will be awarded a contract up to $30,000 for design and installation.
For information: Haleigh Kleinman, water conservation coordinator, 438-2363 or hk*******@**wd.org; or www.svwd.org.
Furlough days announced for county
The county announced that Santa Cruz County offices will be closed the following days because of staff work furloughs to help with the county’s 2010-11 budget deficit: Aug. 27, Sept. 24, Oct. 22, Nov. 24, Dec. 27 through 30, Jan. 28, Feb. 25, March 25, April 22, May 27 and June 10.
Child Support Services will remain open during regular business hours, and some superior court offices will remain open. People are advised to call ahead to find out if a particular office will be open on the furlough days.
County fair floriculture deadline approaches
The deadline to submit an application to the Floriculture Department of the Santa Cruz County Fair is Aug. 7.
Those who wish to submit homegrown garden blooms, plants and full gardens must complete an entry form at www.santacruzcountyfair.com or submit one to the fair office at 2601 E. Lake Ave., Watsonville, CA 95076.
Details are on Page 44 of the fair entry guide.
The exceptions to the above date are orchid and cut-flower entry forms. Those are due at 4 p.m. Sept. 3.
The fair runs Sept. 14 through 19 in Watsonville.
Bridge work completed
Work to grind down, pave and stripe Highway 9 at the twin bridges just north of Felton was scheduled to be completed after press time Thursday, July 29.
The work, which resulted in delays at night for the grinding and paving and during the day for other parts of the job, was completed by contractor John Madonna Construction of San Luis Obispo. The $834,000 aimed to make the roadway safer by repairing the bumps leading up to both bridges.