68 F
Scotts Valley
April 3, 2026

Stripers, steelhead and crabs for fall

Fall has brought forth a few new fishing opportunities. Fishing the upper Trinity River has produced steelhead for fly fishermen. The Delta is hosting top-water action for striped bass. Salmon continue to enter the coastal rivers, and Dungeness crab season is open.

Persimmons: perfect fare for garden or kitchen

With the holidays upon us, there’s probably no other tree that typifies the season more than the persimmon. Bright orange fruits peek out between the leafy branches now, but soon, they’ll hang alone like Christmas ornaments.

Spotlight/Datebook

Boulder Creek book signing to benefit animal rescue

The Mountain Gardener: Low maintenance, high reward

We all want to save time, energy and water in the garden. Who wants a high-maintenance landscape that takes up all our resources? If you grow edibles, you already know they take a bit of care, so it’s even more important to have the rest of the yard be more sustainable.

Talk about Money: Protect your portfolio from a falling dollar

A recurring theme over the past several months has snagged more than a few headlines:

The Wine Lover: Tasting wine, part 2: Taste for yourself

Last time, I discussed how to identify and understand wines by color, clarity and smell. Tasting is the most important part, of course, and there are some characteristics that will help explain why certain wines taste and feel different in your mouth.

Your Health: Cigarette smoking from a medical viewpoint

I was very pleased to see the article “Consider quitting smoking for health” published by the Press-Banner last week (Page 18, Nov. 6). Allow me to add my own opinion on this subject — from a doctor’s point of view.

Year of Firsts: Can we build a better library?

In this economy, and in this era of the Internet, it’s nice to see a library that hasn’t taken the plunge of the daily newspaper and nearly vanished from the community.

Let’s Go Fishin’: King salmon wait for rain

The coastal rivers of Northern California are teeming with huge Chinook (king) salmon that are waiting for a rain to migrate up the coastal rivers.

The Mountain Gardener: Less sun needn’t mean a drab garden

Just because the sun goes down early, don’t put your garden to sleep yet. Make sure you have flowers blooming in the fall, as well as fiery foliage to perk up the view outside your windows.

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Cal Fire firefighter looks at pile burn area

Despite high temps and pile-burning setbacks, fire officials aren’t worrying just yet

Scott Weese, a division chief with Cal Fire CZU, spends plenty of time pouring over forest-fuel-environment maps and briefing safety crews on weather conditions. The...