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After more than a decade of guiding the Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce through some of the most challenging years in local history, Executive Director Danny Reber is stepping into what he calls his “dream job”—leading Valley Churches United (VCU), a beloved local nonprofit...

Jeri Kievlan is the founder and head coach of the Santa Cruz Mountains Renegades, a competitive youth fastpitch softball program in Santa Cruz County. The program was created by Kievlan to provide a year-round feeder program for girls 12 and under to develop their skills...

On Friday, Oct. 31, trick-or-treaters of all ages will be heading out for Halloween fun. To make sure the evening stays safe for everyone on the roads, Scotts Valley Police Department is reminding those who are going out for parties or celebrations to have...

Not since the early-’90s has Scotts Valley been buoyed by so much potential for change, while facing so much risk to the surrounding environment due to expected development. The plans to remake downtown suggest sleek, new buildings reminiscent of upper-middle-class areas of Cupertino, or the...

Park Hall and KBCZ 89.3 FM invite the community to step into the shadows for the inaugural Monster’s Ball, a Halloween celebration like no other. This one-night-only event takes place on Friday, Oct. 31, with doors opening at 7:30pm at Park Hall in Ben...

After two years at Cabrillo College and a couple more at Southern Oregon University, Steve Walpole Jr. embarked on a 30-year career in policing that would see him rise through the ranks in Watsonville and Los Gatos, before returning to work in his hometown...

Good Times, sister publication of the Press Banner, has announced the 2025 Santa Cruz Restaurant Week—the tastiest week of the year. Over the past decade, the community’s response to Santa Cruz Restaurant Week has grown considerably, and the event has continued to gain enthusiasm and...

Fire safety advocates and local leaders recently gathered at Paradise Park to celebrate Santa Cruz County’s milestone of surpassing 100 Firewise USA communities—earning third place nationally in recognized sites. The Sept. 28 picnic, hosted by the Santa Cruz County Fire Safe Council and organized by...

Santa Cruz Public Libraries (SCPL), in collaboration with Urban Word, Watsonville Public Library, Santa Cruz County Office of Education and Arts Council Santa Cruz County, has announced the third year of the Santa Cruz County Youth Poet Laureate Program (SCCYPL). The program provides opportunities for...

There is a seed- and fruit-eating bird native to the Antioquia region of Colombia known as the Antioquia brushfinch, or the Montarito Paisa—with a black-and-white body and an orange mohawk-looking tuft on its head—that is so endangered it was unknown to science for years. Wise...