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Scotts Valley
September 16, 2025

Strictly Business | Spanky’s Café: Embracing Community in the Valley

Spanky’s Café staff
On one of my regular hikes with friends, I mentioned I was looking for another business to feature in this column. They suggested Spanky’s. I had eaten there before, but not enough to know much about Ashley Parry, the owner since 2013. Lucky me—I...

The Mountain Gardener | Fragrant Plants in the Garden This Summer

Garden flowers
While hiking recently in Oregon, I encountered many Mock Orange (Philadelphus lewisii) growing near the Jackson Creek. Their scent was noticeable from a long way off. I knew they grew in the area and their scent gave them away. They are native here also....

Fitness | Lower Body Strength for Longevity

Fitness exercise
How strong is your lower body? Having a strong lower body can help you move with ease and function throughout the day. While improving posture and preventing injury. Making daily tasks like walking, running, jumping and even squatting down to reach for something easier. Lower...

TherapyWorks | Navigating the Back-to-School Season

TherapyWorks school kids
Back-to-school season brings a mix of emotions for students, parents and teachers alike. For some kids, the first day of school is filled with excitement and anticipation. For others, it’s marked by anxiety, uncertainty or even dread. And for many, it’s a complicated mix...

The Mountain Gardener | Outsmarting Deer to Protect Your Garden

Garden Coneflowers
So you’ve planted only “deer resistant” plants but last night your coneflowers were eaten. You’ve been waiting all season to cut some for a bouquet. What else can you do to save your flowers from thirsty deer? Here are some techniques that may help....

Mayor’s Message | Culture, Connection and Community Progress in Scotts Valley

Congressman Jimmy Panetta Scotts Valley Town Center check
As the last echoes of summer fade, school bells are ringing once again and students are streaming back into classrooms. Walking through town these past few weeks, it’s been fun to see the backpacks, the first-day smiles and that renewed sense of energy that...

Finance | Challenges in Emerging Markets Investments

Finance China globe
“The U.S. innovates, China replicates, and Europe regulates.” —The Christian Science Monitor Developed Markets, Frontier Markets and Emerging Markets Trump tariffs (roughly 25%) punish American consumers, suppliers and foreigners (who will seek new customers), so investors turn to Developed Markets, but since the 1990s European productivity...

The Mountain Gardener | Choosing Safe, Deer-Resistant Plants

Black-eyed Susans
With those big brown doe eyes and the cute fawns, who doesn’t enjoy seeing deer, as long as they’re not in your yard. Around my place they only visit very occasionally, which is the worst as I forget they might come at any time...

Finance | Investing Strategies in President Trump’s Economy

Tariffs
“or a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.” —Winston S. Churchill Trump imposed tariffs that Yale’s Budget Lab averages at 18.3%—way higher than 2% under Biden....

The Mountain Gardener | Who Doesn’t Love Beautiful Butterflies?

Western Swallowtail butterfly bush
My Butterfly Bush (buddleja dividii) has started to bloom and it’s a Western Swallowtail butterfly magnet. Butterfly species each have their own life cycle and habits and it’s fascinating to watch them as they go about their lives. I live on Boulder Creek where the...

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News Briefs

News Briefs | Published Sept. 12, 2025

Fun run, emergency preparedness fair set for Saturday On Saturday, Sept. 13, the City of Santa Cruz will be hosting Race the Wave, a 3K...