The outsourcing of U.S. jobs to cheaper overseas locations has been felt deeply in Scotts Valley in recent years, but that global trend is slowing down.

Submit Datebook items to [email protected], 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.

Lauren Ann Cowden was born at 1:01 a.m. July 10, 2011, to Michelle Lynne (Mason) and Clyde Ernest Cowden of Scotts Valley. She weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces at Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center in Santa Cruz.

There's nothing like the long days of summer to get you thinking you could really get used to this. The plants are blooming, the veggies are finally producing and it seems summer will go on forever.

Good news has just come from the California Department of Public Health, which recently reported that the state’s adult smoking rate has hit a record low. Last year, 11.9 percent of the state’s adults smoked, down from 13.1 percent in 2009. By comparison, in 1984, 26 percent of our state’s adults smoked.

Scotts Valley Exchange Club

Submit Datebook items to [email protected], 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.

I know we all sometimes want to take the easy way out on some situations in life, but I’m going to tell you why you should think about the ending results and make the right choice.

A peach that is fragrant and heavy for its size, has smooth skin and rich color, and gives under gentle pressure will be a juicy, sweet, delectable experience.