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Scotts Valley
August 31, 2025

The Mountain Gardener | A Poem of Thanksgiving

Once upon a time when our area was under water there were no parks or trails or trees or gardens. I'm thankful that our mountains rose from an ancient ocean so we could enjoy this beautiful place we call home.  I'm thankful for the Big-Leaf maples that shower me...

Fitness | Staying in Shape During the Holidays

Holidays are here with busy schedules of social gatherings and celebrations. This time of year can make keeping your fitness routine and clean eating habits seem much more difficult. Even the most disciplined people can find it difficult to stick to their health and...

Finance | Navigating Long-term Care: Hazards and Strategies

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%...

The Mountain Gardener | Phenology and Climate Change

What’s that wet stuff coming from the sky? Hopefully by the time you’re reading this we will have gotten some much-needed rainfall. I wanted to research the latest scientific papers on how climate change is impacting our gardens. Plants have adapted over millennia to their...

Finance | Taxing the Rich? How the Wealthy Maneuver to Pay Less Than Others

Trump may keep his TCJA from expiring this year as Biden, seeking wealth taxes, claims: “No billionaire should pay a lower tax rate than a teacher, a sanitation worker, a nurse.” The IRS and SEC monitor salaries, securities sales, dividends and large estates, so...

The Mountain Gardener | Holiday Wreaths Made Easy

Today’s the day I’ve been anticipating for months. It’s the day I go to the Felton Holiday Wreath Makers get together to create another masterpiece (hopefully). I plan to make several for friends and neighbors, although some of those prior recipients are coming with...

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News Briefs

News Briefs | Published Aug. 29, 2025

Supervisor Martinez to speak to North County Dems Fifth District Supervisor Monica Martinez will be the guest speaker for the Democratic Club of North Santa...