The cool fall air and drizzly damp mornings have finally arrived — chilly mornings that signal the end of the craziest, most stressful summer since the great Lockheed fires of 2009. This summer felt like being transported back to 1960’s Viet Nam, with tactical scout planes controlling firefighters and police on the ground, and helicopters and Boride bombers in the air. Millions of dollars went up in smoke fighting scores of suspicious fires in the Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Felton and Ben Lomond areas.
Scotts Valley High School bounced back from a shut-out loss to Aptos by scoring seven touchdowns in a 50-19 win over valley rival San Lorenzo Valley High School last weekend.
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The house sits empty now. Its lace curtains are still in the windows and the grass is being mowed by a man I don’t recognize. The sign on the truck’s door reads “Lopes Hauling and Gar…” the rest is worn off, the numbers no longer legible.
Shawn Smith of Santa Cruz has carried shrapnel in his brain since April 13, 2004 when he led his squadron of Marines in the battle of Fallujah. As part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Sgt. Smith and his men located and retrieved classified material and coalition weapons from a U.S. helicopter that had been shot down in Fallujah, Iraq.