News Briefs

Training for emergency response team
San Lorenzo Valley’s Community Emergency Response Team will host a free training in October for those interested in learning how to react to a disaster.
The training will prepare residents for a disaster and how to respond in the aftermath.
The 23-hour training will be from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays Oct. 5 through Nov. 2 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5. The classes are taught by Capt. Ray Soler at Felton Fire Protection District.
For information: Mountain Community Resources, 335-6607; or ro*****@******es.org.
Fertility support group to start
Life coach Renee Waggener will host a new support group, the Xtraordinary Fertile Group, in Boulder Creek.
The group will provide a place for women dealing with infertility to find emotional support and encouragement, acquire tools to achieve better balance and learn skills to cope with the emotional stress of infertility.
The group will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursdays from Oct. 13 to Nov. 3 at the Ocean Grove Charter School campus, 16900 Highway 9, in Boulder Creek. The first 10 people who register can join free.
For information: www.xtraordinarylifecoach.com.
Big Read launches this weekend
The Big Read, a national program that encourages reading for pleasure and enlightenment, will launch this weekend with an Edgar Allan Poe reading and reflection at Loudon Nelson Community Center, 301 Church St., in Santa Cruz.
Mystery writer Laurie R. King will talk about Poe, and several others prominent county figures will read and discuss. The event begins at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1.
A series of events connected with The Big Read and Poe is planned at local libraries. A raven art show dedicated to Poe and his works will appear at the Boulder Creek Branch Library throughout October. Then, Devik Schreiner will give a juvenile fiction talk about his book, “Search a Darker Sky,” at the Boulder Creek library from 4 to 5 p.m. Oct. 12.
Recycling bill signed to law
Gov. Jerry Brown has signed the Renters Right to Recycle Act, which requires local jurisdictions to adopt ordinances that ensure access to recycling for people who live in leased buildings with five or more dwellings.
Owners of multifamily buildings will now have to provide recycling services, and permits for development of new projects will mandate areas for recycling.
According to the act, more than 50 percent of waste generated in single-family homes is diverted from landfills to recycling, while the rate is only 15 percent in apartments. The law should help change that.