Columns

As we celebrate the holidays, I am very thankful for our community, Scotts Valley City Staff and our various commissioners and fellow city council members. I look forward to continuing the good work that has been accomplished through the pandemic, including 2022. It’s been exciting...

Tucked on window sills and tabletops, my houseplants clean the air and provide indoor beauty while the landscape outdoors is mostly resting. They are easy to keep healthy if I follow a few tips during the dark days of winter. it’s their time to...

Enjoying a spectacular sunset on a warm evening in the summertime is one of life’s simple pleasures. Peach and orange tones bounce off the bottom of gauzy cirrus clouds as they streak across the sky. Combine these warm colors with varying shades of blue...

I am perpetually on the lookout for fresh insights and novel viewpoints for local businesses whose products and services command our attention and investment.  I listen for businesses that triumph over trials and offer ways to further brand and develop my business and yours. The...

“I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful, but I don’t know if it could be both.” —Elon Musk Planning became possible when Donald Trump signed off a mega bill, which simultaneously decreases taxes and welfare spending while discouraging immigration; it...

“I selected an S Corporation to safeguard my personal assets through limited liability protection while enjoying pass-through taxation, allowing business profits to flow directly to my individual tax return and avoiding the double taxation faced by C Corps.”—Marwan Mezher Many taxpayers build lasting companies with...

The one Christmas that stands out in my “memory bank” is the one that I forgot to put my bowl of cranberry sauce that I had labored over on the Christmas dinner table. I remember opening the refrigerator door to put in leftover turkey,...

Spring IS here, at least according to the calendar. Weather Underground has predicted rain or the chance of rain for many of the remaining days this month.  There are so many things I want to do out in the garden, and the weather is getting...

As a licensed therapist and mental health expert, I have seen firsthand how the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health challenges can prevent individuals from seeking the help they need. The fear of judgment can deter people from seeking professional care, opening up to...

“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps more the greater. All we have to decide is what to do...