Columns

We all enjoy privacy around our homes. Even if you’re best friends with your neighbor, you don’t always want to wave at them each morning. Whether you have a property tucked way back in the forest with a next-door neighbor that looks right down...

In this final series, I speak with Jason Borgen, the Chief Technology Innovation Officer at the Santa Cruz Office of Education (SCCOE), and with two local businesses, BraLisa and The Gather Community.  In this concluding segment of our three-part series on AI in Small Town...

When we hear the term “self care,” we often think of solo activities—reading a book, journaling, taking a bath or going for a walk alone. But true self care isn’t just about what we do by ourselves—it’s also about how we engage with the...

What do you get when you combine a community builder, entrepreneur and innovative problem solver? Greg Wimp. In 2020, Greg, owner of four local Togo’s businesses in Santa Cruz County, donated thousands of sandwiches throughout our county to fire evacuees, first responders, frontline workers, salon...

It has been an exciting first month as your County Supervisor for the Fifth District. After being officially sworn in on Dec. 23 by Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, I took office on Jan. 6 and was symbolically sworn in during a community celebration on Jan....

“In a recent nationwide survey of working age Americans, 79% agree that the nation faces a retirement savings crisis…more than half of Americans (55%) are concerned that they cannot achieve financial security in retirement.” —Dan Doonan, Forbes Do not buy stocks because market timing feels...

By Janet Janssen, Strictly Business There is no denying this year has left an indelible mark on the community, personally and collectively. Each month, we share about businesses who sell more than their products or services but give back to their community. This practice of...

What do you know about Sleep Hygiene? How is your sleep affecting your health? Sleep Hygiene is the practices and habits that promote good quality sleep. Sleep and health are strongly related. Poor sleep can increase the risk of having poor health, and poor health...

January was Mental Wellness Month—a great time to start fresh and focus on prioritizing your mental health. Mental wellness is an important part of our overall health and wellbeing. It not only affects our emotional and psychological state, but also plays a vital role...

As my parents suffered lingering deaths from cancer and Alzheimer’s, they appreciated long-term care insurance, and their purchase enlarged my inheritance. I am a 62-year-old paraplegic planner receiving home care while working diligently—and subsidized retirement living terrifies me enough to save. After all, 70%...