The old saying used to go, “Months with an R in them are safe for shellfish.” This saying may still hold true most years, as fall and winter months host less chance for red tides than summer months. The good news is that there are many other ocean fish that are safe to eat and in season.

For what seems to be a minor health problem, swimmer’s ear results in nearly 2.4 million doctor visits annually and costs our health care system $500 million a year.

Hello everyone, my name is Olivia Doherty. I am a Scotts Valley middle-schooler who has opinions just like you. I want to share with you my observations about what a middle-schooler thinks on a daily basis.

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.

There is often opportunity amid gloom. And, wow, do we have a lot of gloom in the real estate market:

I am a contract worker, and recently I may have put my job in jeopardy. I found that I am not a very “green employee.”

About three weeks ago, my wife asked me a rather unusual question: Could I marry her best friend from high school? Coupled with the recent marriage of Press-Banner’s hallowed leader, Peter Burke, and his columns as he approached wedded bliss, it seemed only natural that I should write about my first and likely only, experience performing the nuptials.

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.