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After more than 6 inches of rain fell in Scotts Valley and on mountain communities Tuesday and Wednesday, another “atmospheric river” is headed our way.The National Weather Service said the Santa Cruz Mountains could receive another six inches of rain between Saturday and Monday.“If the forecast  is realized, the hydrologic impacts of such a weather pattern are expected to be numerous and widespread,”  said forecaster Bob Benjamin.He said mudslides, power outages, and swollen rivers and streams were likely, and as was a flash flood watch.The Weekend Forecast:Saturday, Sunday: Rain, heavy at times.Send storm photos and stories of neighborhood heroes and good Samaritans to [email protected] !

Tanya Krause and Jenny Haruyama

Elections were the big story nationally in 2016, and locally as well, with elected offices and ballot measures dominating headlines from June to November.Scotts Valley City Council electionWith five candidates vying for three open council seats, the small-town race Nov. 8 was the most volatile in years.Jack Dilles, a county school board member, defeated three-term incumbent Dene Bustichi and was the big spender in the race, spending more than $23,000 of his own money. With the assistance of Councilman Jim Reed, Bustichi and fellow incumbents Donna Lind and Randy Johnson were supported by a PAC called Neighbors for Keeping Scotts Valley Strong, which raised more than $14,000, most of it coming from local developers.The Press Banner and Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce sponsored a candidate forum that would focus on growth issues, small-town integrity and the condition of county roads.Bustichi lost support when it was revealed that his contractor’s license had been revoked in 2015 and that he failed to pay a subcontractor $112,000.Ballot measuresBallot measures were in the headlines in June and again in November.In June, voters rejected a proposal to raise property taxes to fund $310 million in repairs and upgrades to the Cabrillo College campus, but supported raising taxes to fund $67 million for new libraries, including one in Felton, and the renovation of others, including Boulder Creek and Scotts Valley.In November, voters in the Boulder Creek and Zayante fire districts approved higher taxes to provide added funds for operations and new fire equipment.Also in November, voters approved a half-cent sales tax increase for a broad range of transportation improvements.Measure D, as the transportation measure was called, will provide at least $17 million per year over 30 years for road repairs, emergency lanes on Highway 1, improvements along Highway 17 and Highway 9, new buses, new bike lanes, and money for paratransit and jogging trails.Statewide voter approval of $9 billion in school bonds all but assured Scotts Valley school officials of $5.7 million to build a new middle school gym.The flight path debateA bitter discussion about incoming commercial flight paths over the county was almost as loud as the commercial jets that were causing the havoc.Residents from Soquel and Capitola squared off with those from San Lorenzo Valley, Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley in several appearances before a committee composed of elected officials from San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties.At issue was a 2015 flight-path move that shifted a route several miles miles south. That flight path carries an average of 183 aircraft per day, or 30 percent of the arriving aircraft into SFO.After much debate, the committee asked the FAA to return to the previous flight path that SFO arrivals had used for 30 years before last year, at lower altitudes over the San Lorenzo Valley.Fires: Loma Prieta and the Trout Farm InnA blaze on Loma Prieta Road near Morgan Hill in the sweltering Indian Summer heat drew firefighters from Felton, Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz  County and CalFire. They risked their lives for six days to help put out the Sept. 26,  4,474-acre wildfire.A total of 986 fire fighters, 47 engines, 28 crews, three helicopters, eight bulldozers and 15 water tenders  battled the blaze at its apex.Earlier in the year, a kitchen fire destroyed a 69-year-old Zayante Road landmark, the Trout Farm Inn. There were no injuries, and firefighters kept the blaze from damaging the adjacent swimming pool or spreading to trees or nearby houses.Water ratesA highly successful water conservation effort by Scotts Valley residents trickled down to a 27 percent rate increase so the Scotts Valley Water District would not default on its loans.The district is in the business of selling water, so when people don’t buy it, revenues fall.A family that uses 8,000 gallons of water in two months – the district median for a single family – will see its bill rise by about $22.50 in February. Water hogs will feel it in their pocketbook more than “typical” users.The new water rate plan could nearly double residential water rates in five years, if there is little change in the number of customers or in how they use water.The water board voted to review rates each year,.‘The Story’In what might be the most-disturbing event of the year, a 15-year-old male student at Scotts Valley High School gave a female student a violent, sexually graphic letter threatening to kill and rape her and 20 others, including teachers.The event, which occurred shortly before school ended in June, caused consternation and disbelief among parents at the school. At angry meetings before the school board, students complained of not feeling safe. Parents charged that the school had soft-pedaled the entire incident by not reaching out to parents and warning them of potential danger.As the beginning of the new school year approached, it was announced that the boy would not be returning to school.Brookdale LodgeIt was a topsy-turvy year for the new owner of the Brookdale Lodge, who had high hopes of re-opening the historic complex by year’s end but saw that plan delayed into 2017.New owner Pravin Patel, who purchased the abandoned hotel in 2014 for $2.75 million, said he plans to invest  up to  $7 million in the first two phases of his renovation and restoration project.He began the first phase of reconstructing 46 hotel rooms and retail space in April, with first a September, then a December completion date.To be known as the Brookdale Inn and Spa when work has been completed, Patel’s next phase won approval in the fall: the restoration and reopening of the historic dining room, formerly known as the Brookdale Lodge, that is split by free-running Clear Creek, to be completed late next year.Boulder Creek poolComing in late 2017: a new public swimming pool in Boulder Creek — available to residents countywide.The effort was led by the Boulder Creek recreation district and assisted by the county. The large public swimming pool is located at the former Bear Creek Country Club.The $1.2 million purchase was accomplished with the help of Fifth District Supervisor Bruce McPherson, who channeled $450,000 from the board of supervisors to help fund the recreation district’s purchase in November.Scotts Valley’s 50th birthdayThere was a time when there wasn’t much in Scotts Valley except an airport, a supermarket, a gas station and general store and a one-room school.In the 1960s that began to change, and the changes would come very fast. That vision of growth, combined with fears of becoming a dumping ground for Santa Cruz, led to the incorporation of Scotts Valley in 1966.On July 4, the city celebrated its 50th birthday in style with its largest parade ever and a big party at the park that used to be an airport.Job growth in Scotts ValleyTwo projects nearing completion this year promise an uptick in job growth for Scotts Valley.The University of Santa Cruz is relocating its administrative staff, 370 full-time positions plus more than 100 student and contract positions, to the former Borland Building on Santa’s Village Road.The move begins next month, but won’t be completed until March, two months later than had first been announced. The university had signed a 20-year lease for 130,000 square feet of office space, moving three departments from Santa Cruz in the Enterprise Technology Center.About 120 physicians and staff will move into the new Kaiser Permanente site on Scotts Valley Drive.

January

 A Superior Court judge has ruled against a former director of the San Lorenzo Valley Water District, saying that he violated a state conflict of interest law that prohibits elected officials from participating in decisions that result in personal gain.

The relocation of administrative staff of the University of California Santa Cruz to Scotts Valley is going to take a little longer than had been announced in May.

The 18 men and women and two young children began arriving at St. Phillip the Apostle Episcopal Church in Scotts Valley about 5:30 p.m.They came by car and by METRO bus. They brought their belongings in backpacks and large green trash bags, which they piled in one corner. Some grabbed a cup of coffee and sat at tables in the dining area, chatting with others as they arrived. Some kept on their heavy coats. Some stayed aloof from the others, looking quietly at the Christmas decorations in the lobby of the Scotts Valley Drive church.St. Phillip’s would be their home for the night. It was warm and dry and friendly, and the decorations added a little extra warmth this time of year. Here they would get a hot, nutritious meal cooked this night by Monica and Erik Hedstrom of Community Covenant Church, along with some fellowship. Tomorrow, there would be breakfast in the morning and another church in another part of the county at night. That would be repeated at 10 locations, then the cycle would begin again at the Faith Community Shelters created four years ago by the Association of Faith Communities.The participants in this program are of different ages and backgrounds, and other than this shifting routine, they have one thing in common: they are homeless.They are the lucky ones. County officials have estimated that on any given night, more than 2,000 men, women and children have no shelter, despite the efforts of a dozen different private social agencies.The group at the Faith Community Shelters also has Al Anthony, who greets them with a smile at each location.As a combination manager and guardian angel, he reminds them of the specific rules of each location and handles the delivery of the large foam mattresses to each site.At St. Phillip’s last Saturday, Dec. 17, for example, he told folks they wouldn’t be able to lay out their bedding the following Saturday until after the close of the 11 p.m. Christmas Eve service.Al is with them every night, all night, seven days a week, 365 days a year. He has had the job since October 2012, joining a few months after it started, and he figures he has had one day off since then.These rotating homeless shelters are Al’s home, too.When the amiable vet was asked what he had done before this job, he replied matter-of-factly, “I slept in the back doorway of Bookshop Santa Cruz for five-and-a-half years.”The shelter and food provided to these 18 people every night by 10 churches and community organizations – 10 for lodging and another 25 for food – are part of a growing effort  to care for the estimate 3,500 homeless people in the county.Just this winter, the Association of Faith Communities opened two “winter shelters,” in Santa Cruz, offering drop-in emergency shelter for 100 people at the VFW Hall on 7th Street and the Salvation Army on Laurel Street.The Faith Community Shelters require verifiable IDs, background checks and a commitment to a plan to move to permanent shelter. Most stay about six months, said program director Debbie Bates.Bates, a retired probation officer, said she works part-time managing both the transitional shelters and the new winter shelter program.“It’s a God thing,” she said with a smile.She said the current wait list for the Faith Community Shelters is up to two-and-a-half months.

The day after election results became official Dec. 6, newly-elected Scotts Valley city councilmember Jack Dilles resigned his trustee seat with the Santa Cruz County Board of Education, a position he had held since 2006.

Three newly elected members of the Scotts Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees were sworn in this week, and as a first order business re-elected Michael Shulman as board president.