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Scotts Valley
September 13, 2025

National Novel Writing Month to kick off with local events

Do you have a story that you always wanted to write? This November is your chance to join hundreds of thousands of people around the world, and commit your ideas to paper! National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo), a non-profit event founded in 1999 by The Office of Letters and Light, challenges people to write 50,000 words during the month of November.

Let’s go fishin’: Tuna fleet follows fish to Santa Cruz

A small fleet of albacore tuna boats is anchored in the lee of Point Santa Cruz. The vessels appearance raised questions and curiosity. The history and lore of these vessels radiates from them.

Your Health: Doctor becomes patient as cancer journey begins

For every article I write, I start research on my subject of choice and find I’m always learning something new, or I find the research to be very interesting. This week I’ve been forced to study up on a subject that I didn’t know much about, but only because it was something I was just diagnosed with: multiple myeloma. This is a cancer of the plasma cells which is growing in my bone marrow.

Talk about money: Investors want to do well, and do good

The popularity of socially responsible investing is on the rise. Forbes magazine reports that $1 of every $9 under professional management in the U.S. is an SRI investment. A recent survey by Merrill Lynch shows that 29 percent of young adults support values-based investing.

The Mountain Gardener: Plant groundcover before hillsides wash away

Getting caught out in the rain last month was a timely reminder that the rainy season will soon be upon us. The “Farmer's Almanac” predicts our "winter will be much rainier and cooler than normal." Weather bloggers are posting an impressive number of charts and figures that predict a general dry trend, while the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says we have an equal chance of precipitation totals going either way.

Nature friendly: Pogonip is the crown jewel of the Santa Cruz greenbelt

A piercing raptor’s cry comes out of the sky and disrupts the peace along Spring Trail in Pogonip. Peter Scott calls out, “Red-shouldered hawk!”

A word on Down syndrome

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month. This has particular meaning to me because 11 years ago when I married my dear wife Beth, I gained not only an incredible wife but also an equally incredible Down syndrome brother-in-law named Danny. Coincidentally, Danny had been a patient of mine in urgent care for a number of years before I met Beth. I always enjoyed seeing him back then as I had a special affection for those with this genetic disorder.

The Mountain Gardener: Firescape landscaping

I walk regularly in Henry Cowell State Park in Felton. I can't imagine losing the majestic redwood forest I enjoy so much to a fire. Over the summer there were a number of arson-caused fires in the park. Actually 10 separate fires have occurred in the same general area and along the San Lorenzo River over the past six months, some caused by campfire escapes and some by arson. All of them were caused by humans.

Valley people

McCown graduates from Cal Poly

The Mountain Gardener: Fire-safe landscaping, part 1

I drove through the Groveland area near Yosemite a couple of days before the Rim Fire started on August 17. The local talk over Tioga Pass was then about the recent Aspen Fire in the Sierra National Forest. The Rim fire has now burned 400 square miles of forest and cost $122 million to fight to date. What started as a 40 acre fire when discovered exploded to over 100,000 acres within two days. It is now the third largest in California history.

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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...