A tightly-knit team of AmeriCorps environmental workers this week wrangled with patches of stubborn Himalayan Blackberry bramble — removing more than 5,000 of the noxious weeds.

Granite Construction this week began the long-awaited $758,000 facelift at the intersection of Mt. Hermon Road, Scotts Valley Drive and Whispering Pines Drive.

The Scotts Valley Police Department — responding to ongoing shenanigans at Skypark Skateboard Park — this week installed a high-tech surveillance camera.

There has been much debate on how to get greener, cheaper power and not pay the profits of an investor-owned utility. However, soon, for most residential customers this will actually become a reality when the Monterey Bay Community Power gets switched on in July. 

Make no mistake, sometimes being the lone lawman in the rural town of Boulder Creek can be a bit intimidating.

Residents of Scotts Valley know that there’s no finer place to raise a family and enjoy small town a sense of community that’s rarely found anywhere these days, all amidst soaring redwoods, next to stunning beaches and 45 minutes from the most dynamic economy in the world.  The first job for any civic leader is to maintain this incredible quality of life that we enjoy, which I think can be done while making needed progress in several areas:

My plants are confused. Actually they know exactly what they are doing it’s me that’s confused. The mild winter, so far at least, has encouraged many of my plants normally still dormant at this time of year to start growing for the season. What’s a gardener to do when the roses, fuchsias, oakleaf hydrangeas and many other plants never really went dormant this year?  Here are some February tasks that I’m going to be doing.