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Scotts Valley City Council race is shaping up to be between two incumbent city council members and a political newcomer. Scotts Valley resident Derek Timm will be running against current city council member Stephanie Aguilar and Mayor Jim Reed for one of two available seats in this year’s election.

CalFire announced on Wednesday that the City of Scotts Valley and unincorporated areas nearby, including Pasatiempo, Rolling Woods, Paradise Park and Cave Gulch, can repopulate immediately. CalFire has expressed confidence in fire lines protecting communities south of the San Lorenzo Valley to the east of Highway 9. Be sure to check out the current evacuation map to ensure your zone, as identified in the CalFire release, matches up with areas allowed to repopulate. We hope to learn more in coming days about other areas that will be allowed to repopulate, though we expect it will be some time for the hardest hit areas of Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek and Boony Doon. On Wednesday, CZU CalFire reported the Lightning Complex fires was 81,333 acres. While containment has increased to 21%, 23,000 structures are still threatened. On Wednesday, we learned that the staggering number of structures burned is at least 646, with all but 11 in Santa Cruz County. The damage assessment is just 55% complete. While we don't know the exact extent of the damage or the location of every damaged home, the County has released a Damage Assessment Map that contains up-to-date parcel-specific information about the fire's impact. Please visit the County's Fire Resources page for updates on sheltering and other services.

Sometimes you cannot see the forest for the trees, but I think most of the time you cannot see the trees for the forest. California’s Arbor Day Week gives us an opportunity to pause and celebrate our trees.

Recreation Dungeness Crab season opened February 11th. Sport anglers rejoiced in the thought of catching these tasty crustaceans after a long delayed season.

Horse Sense Education and Advocacy Nonprofit (HSNP) presented its Diamond Heart fundraiser dinner at Scapazzi’s Italian Cuisine on Oct. 12. Aimed at building connections and partnerships between horses and humans that empower and enrich lives, HSNP is a verified, 501(c)3 certified nonprofit based in Felton. Over...

For the third time in his life, Bruce Barlow hit a hole-in-one at Valley Gardens Golf Course on Jan. 4.