The first annual Santa Cruz Mini Maker Faire will be hosted on Saturday, April 16th, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Gateway School, 126 Eucalyptus Ave., Santa Cruz. The aim of Maker Faire is to entertain, inform, connect and grow this community. The call for Makers, Artists, Performers, and Crafters is open now through March 15. Makers range from tech enthusiasts to crafters to homesteaders to scientists to garage tinkerers. They are of all ages and backgrounds. Any groups or individuals interested in presenting their project, activity, or performance in this event should complete the application at makerfairesantacruz.com/makers.

The Scotts Valley Firefighters Local Union 3577 will award a scholarship of $500.00 to a ScottsValleyHigh School student who is interested in establishing a career in the fire service or emergency medical service.

Starting February 1, all Chihuahuas living in Santa CruzCounty are eligible for a free spay/neuter surgery, rabies vaccination and microchip identification by Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter. This offer is limited to the first 100 Chihuahua owners that sign up, first come, and first served.

Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks (Friends) today announced five naturalist-led backpacking trips will be offered in four State Parks in the Santa CruzMountains during summer 2016.

The walls within the Santa CruzCounty jail facilities are borders that divide convicted inmates – boarders – from the community at large. Some of these ‘boarders’ have been convicted of violent crimes, whereas others are incarcerated for non-violent offenses. Rehabilitating inmates serving time at our county jails is an objective to which the SCC Sheriff’s Department is committed.

Charles Douglas (Doug) Greer was born in Ottawa, Canada, and moved to Glendale, California in 1924. He began working in the film industry at age seven after winning a freckles contest. It was his many freckles that earned him the name, “Turkey Egg” given to him by Robert McGowan, director of the “Our Gang” comedies, also known as, “The Little Rascals,” in which Doug was a regular. His freckles reminded the director of the speckles that cover turkey eggs. Doug spent twelve years of his childhood working in the movies alongside actors such as Mickey Rooney, John Wayne and Jackie Cooper. He was a member of the Screen Actors Guild and acquired around 60 screen credits.

 Long-time Felton resident Nicholas Ewing Barr passed away on January 18, 2016 from natural causes. He was 69 years old.

Online voting spreads

On February 10th, 2016 at 7:16 p.m., Santa Cruz County Anti- Crime Team Gang Taskforce officers conducted a vehicle stop on a truck in the 100 block of Marin Street, Watsonville for vehicle code violations. The driver, Manuel Figueroa Solorsano, was on active probation for possession of a firearm with court ordered search terms. The passenger in the vehicle was identified as Michael J. Schwartz.