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Scotts Valley
October 24, 2026

Mountain Gardener: Aspen gold brightens Sierra landscape in autumn

On the eastern side of the Sierra, ribbons of brilliant gold flow down the mountainside. The color can be seen from miles away. Meadows spread wide covered with vivid yellow-leafed aspen quaking in a fall breeze. It's the height of the fall foliage season in this part of California.

Healthy Living: Why diets work, and fail

Every diet, no matter how extreme, has something valuable to offer. Likewise, every diet has its flaws.

New Faces

Vincent Kai Grasso was born to Anna (Kawaguchi) and Timothy Michael Grasso of Scotts Valley at 10:50 p.m. Sept. 20, 2012, at Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center of Santa Cruz. He weighed 8 pounds, 15 ounces.

Let’s go fishin’: Fall colors of California

As I fished a small stream in Lassen County for trout, I found it challenging to determine which was more beautiful — the fall colors of the aspen tree-lined stream or the trout that lie in its waters.

Mountain Gardener: Easily add fall color to the garden

Walking around my neighborhood, I see neon-red fall foliage at every turn. Japanese maples covered with vivid red, bright orange or yellow leaves steal the scene wherever they grow. Surrounded by greenery, Canadian redbuds are popping with burgundy and yellow color. Flowering dogwoods look like they’re on fire.

Your Health: Influenza vaccine

I would like to make my annual plea for everyone to get a flu shot.

Datebook

- Submit Datebook items to pbeditor@pressbanner.com or drop off press releases or photos at 5215 Scotts Valley Drive, Ste. F, Scotts Valley 95066. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday. Entries are subject to editing, and publication is not guaranteed.

Untarnished etiquette: Aging should not be seen as a negative

Our Western culture tends to idealize youth, while showing little respect or courtesy for our aging, mature population. However, many countries in the world honor their elder citizens. Age, in those societies, is symbolic of experience, wisdom and knowledge, which is shared with the younger generations.

Talk about money: Housing prices rise in county

After dropping from 2006 to 2011, home prices in Santa Cruz County have jumped 17 percent in the past year as bargain-hunting investors find that rising rents and rock-bottom interest rates are again making it profitable to be a landlord.

Datebook

- Submit Datebook items to pbeditor@pressbanner.com or drop off press releases or photos at 5215 Scotts Valley Drive, Ste. F, Scotts Valley 95066. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday. Entries are subject to editing, and publication is not guaranteed.

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Scotts Valley Council Candidates

Three candidates vie for two Scotts Valley council seats

Mike Zeller, the director of programming and project delivery for the Transportation Agency for Monterey County, is the relative newcomer on the Scotts Valley...