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Former high school football coach Alex Joudy lost more than 100 pounds and now spends his days sharing his fitness methods as a personal trainer. In March the Felton resident opened Tailormade Fitness, his second personal training studio at 5400 Scotts Valley Drive. He loves what he does.

Photos from the annual Ohlone Day Festival in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Lucjan Szewczyk/Press-Banner

As the holiday season approaches, San Lorenzo Valley residents begin to make their lists, clip their Safeway coupons and prepare their pantries for the weeks ahead. Lynn Robinson’s team at Valley Churches United (VCU) in Ben Lomond have also been ramping up in preparation...

Randall Dennis BirchMarch 3, 1962 – August 7, 2015Randy Birch passed too soon from a world that needed him. He was born in Salinas, CA, but lived most of his life in Felton and Santa Cruz. Twenty minutes after he was born, the hospital staff pronounced him hyperactive and that’s how he lived his life, as if he had too much to do and not enough time.He was the first non-athlete to be voted Homecoming King at San Lorenzo Valley High School. He navigated a rainy football field in a white tuxedo without collecting a spot of mud.He was a founding member of San Lorenzo Valley’s Mountain Community theatre. He captivated audiences with his portrayals of Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man, Nathan Detroit in Guy & Dolls, and many others. Even with bit parts, he could steal the show. He coaxed his shyest friends — and even his mother — to join him on stage. He was known for his great singing, but even more for his infectious laugh. Actors loved to have him in the front row.He worked 70 and 80 hour weeks, first as manager at Color Tile, and later, as a Quality Assurance Manager at several computer technology companies, armed only with a high school diploma, amazing intelligence, and irresistible charm. In addition, he was a regular in a community TV program, The Chick Show, which ran for 8 years.His real family recently learned Randy was an honorary member of many other families, all of whom miss him terribly. He delivered warm soup when someone was sick, a listening ear when someone was troubled, and the unfailing patience to fix anyone’s computer.He is dearly missed by his parents, James and Rosemary Birch of Felton, CA, and his three siblings, Kathleen —Dan — Sherman in St. Joseph, MI, Luanne (Paul) Oleas in Cupertino, and William Birch in Cottage Grove, OR. He was adored by his two nieces, Katie Sherman and Natalie Oleas.If you were lucky enough to know him, his family requests your attendance at “Remembering Randy: A Musical Tribute” which will be held from 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm on Saturday, August 29, 2015 at Park Hall, 9400 Mill Street, Ben Lomond. Bring a song to share, a picture, or a memory.

On Monday, July 13, 2015, Liberty Bank in Felton was robbed. A security tape of the event shows a man wearing a white shirt, dark pants and a white cap with a bill. He was carrying a gun.New Leaf employee, Chris Jakubisin, said “I was on my way to take care of the bank order when a squad car pulled up and the deputy sheriffs jumped out armed with guns.” There was a police tape separating the parking lot in front of the New Leaf Market and Liberty Bank.A visitor from Los Angeles, Joe Wolf, said “I was in the bank just before the robbery and I was watching two men that I did not know were bank robbers.” Wolf said that the two men were dressed plainly. He said, “this is if the individuals I noticed were in fact the suspects.” Asked what they looked like, Wolf said “one was short and the other was tall and thin, very thin.”Lt. Kelly Kent said that a single person carrying a black semi-automatic handgun locked four Liberty Bank employees and two customers in the vault. No one was hurt. The robber was a Caucasian male in his early to mid twenties with no facial hair. He fled to the back of the bank said Lt. Kelly. He said, “it is possible that there could have been a second person who was a driver."Wolf said that about six minutes after the robbery, the deputy sheriffs showed up and closed down the street between Highway 9 and Graham Hill Road. The video shows the emergency vehicles showing up.“There were six cars and three vans” said Wolf. “The officers were wearing bullet proof vests and they closed the streets down on the left and right sides and asked bystanders to clear the area.”Scotts Valley Police Department sent their K-9 unit. The dog did not find the robber's trail.Crime Scene Investigators, detectives, FBI and patrol deputies are seeking clues, said Lt. Kelly.Beth Hollenbeck called the Press-Banner and said that she had been asked to leave the area around the bank. She was able to photograph the scene from the south side of the bank.A video made by Wolf shows a teller leaving the bank with his hands up as he approached an officer. Wolf said that if the officers had arrived about two minutes earlier it may have resulted in a hostage situation. He said “they got away without having to take a hostage.”

Lots of teachers inspire by opening the door to learning new things.  Some special teachers with how they approach their craft can inspire and enrich their charges years after the final school bell has run. One of these for me, and thousands others, was San Lorenzo Valley High’s Lee Overbeck, who died Wednesday from leukemia.

The board of the San Lorenzo Valley Water District is looking for a new member after the sudden resignation of Margaret Bruce last week.