Our “music man” is Michel Singher, Conductor of Espressivo, a small, intense orchestra.On September 13 at 4:00 p.m. at the San Lorenzo Valley Performing Arts Center in Felton, Espressivo will play selected pieces by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Jacques Ibert, Richard Wagner, and Paul Hindemith. The program, Music on the Mountain, will be brought to SLVPAC by the San Lorenzo Valley Foundation for Education to benefit San Lorenzo Valley schools.Michel Singher conducted the Hamburg State Opera and now resides in Felton with his wife, renowned abstract oil painter, Elizabeth Kaminski. Less than one year ago, Singher was retired. Now, he is engaged in an quest that he had never imagined would occur. “It is a totally consuming adventure to be organizing this program. Last year, I was retired and catching up on my reading and now I am a very busy man,” said Singher.Asked about the challenge of creating Music on the Mountain, Singher explained that because the orchestra is small, there are few pieces for them to play. Small groups between three and eight players and up to 17 players might be playing chamber music and would do so without a conductor. Espressivo is made up of seven players and will be conducted by Singher. He said that the main challenge for them is finding enough pieces by excellent composers that can be played by a small orchestra.Espressivo will perform “Capriccio” by Ibert. Singher describes this piece as “urbane, smooth and suave.” He contrasted that piece to Hindemith’s “Kammermusik Nr. 1, Op. 24.” He said that work “was one of the most important of the 20th century.” Describing it as “youthful, brash, complicated, loud but catchy,” he felt that it would be another appropriate piece for Espressivo to perform.Singher compared the visual art of a painter to that of a musician. He said that a painter starts with nothing and pulls out of themselves what they need to express; with music, the artist is given a recipe.“The way that works is the composer writes a score, each player has a piece of it, and the conductor brings all pieces together to create the final result,” said Singher. He talked about the whole ‘shape’ of the piece being made of implied ‘shapes’ and ‘forms.’ “These are the patterns of repetition that make up the composition. It’s like seeing the whole picture when you recognize the shapes and forms made by rhythm, notes, harmony, and melody,” he said.Come listen to Espressivo at Music on the Mountain and hear the ‘shapes’ and ‘forms’ of the music produced by our man of music as he conducts this small, intense orchestra.Tickets are on sale at: slvfoundation.org. For more information, call: 234-0236

Red Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Core Connections Physical Therapy and Pilates On Wednesday, August 26, the Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce welcomed a new member, Core Connections Physical Therapy, during the noon festivities.Core Connections Physical Therapy is located at 108 Whispering Pines Drive, Suite 120 in Scotts Valley. The group uses Pilates methodology and equipment. They will work with clients on an individual basis.For more information, call 440-8301.How Caltrans saves waterDid you know that Caltrans is responsible for more than 30,000 acres of landscaping along the state highway system? During California’s fourth year of extended drought, Caltrans is balancing its dual goals of reducing its water use by 50 percent while also protecting the more than $1 billion in investments made into the plantings along California’s highways.Public Information Officer David Richardson shares the department’s water saving efforts and provides an overview of Caltrans’ efforts to use smart controller devices for its irrigation systems. Richardson says, “These high tech devices automatically adjust watering based on the weather, soil type and plants, and can automatically turn off the water and notify maintenance of any malfunctions.”This video can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/tQJo6MSrF4Y Look for signs of vision problems in childrenAugust is widely known as Child Eye Health & Safety Month. As we move from summer fun to focusing on the three Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic), watch your child’s behavior for signs of vision problems.Common signs of vision problems in children include frequently rubbing their eyes, squinting, tilting or turning their heads to look at objects, wandering eyes, or squeezing their eyes. If your child displays any of these symptoms, please schedule an appointment to have his or her eyes checked. Nina Preschool opens in Scotts ValleyThere is a new preschool opening between Scotts Valley and Felton, off Mt. Hermon Road. Gray Gables Cultural Learning Center reopens its doors as Nina’s Preschool and Childcare. The former Cultural Learning Center is now a creative, educational preschool, specializing in organic nutrition, Spanish lessons, and educational enrichment. It is owned and operated by Gray Gables Director’s daughter, Christina Schmidt, who 15 years earlier, was a student of the arts at Gray Gables. Now she is offering her talents here for preschool age children. Christina, a graduate in Applied and Nutrition Science from Cal Poly, will teach children the importance of healthy living and eating.Christina is a nurturing mother who loves children, has over 15 years of childcare experience, completion of early childhood development courses, and the desire to provide a safe and wholesome environment for preschool age children. Included in her curriculum are cooking, gardening, and hands-on crafts which Nina will teach to coincide with weekly themes for a well-rounded education.Call today for availability: 831-566-3082. License #444414572  Operation Safe PassageOn August 26 through September 2, the Scotts Valley Police will be monitoring motorists in the vicinity of all local school zones in Scotts Valley. The goal of the operation is to increase the safety of students commuting to and from school at the beginning of the school year. Extra officers will be working to strictly enforce traffic violations.Officers will focus on the following violations by both motorists as well as commuting students:• Failing to stop for school buses with flashing stop lights• Speeding vehicles• Failing to yield to pedestrians• Jaywalking• Juvenile bicyclists without required helmets or helmets not properly worn• Seat belt and child restraint seat violations• Cell phone and texting violations• Stop sign violations“The first week of the school is always a concern for the police department because we have new groups of kids walking and biking to school for the first time,” said Lt. Steve Walpole, “The extra officers assigned to each school will be a reminder to the students and the motorists in the area to follow the rules of the road in an effort to keep everyone safe during their travels.”Rocket Fuel for the Entrepreneurial Soul Event SeriesThe Slingshot to Success, a small business advocacy program, will be launching their inaugural “2015 Small Business Challenge.” Their mission is to give small business owners an opportunity to have their number one business or marketing questions answered. The Rocket Fuel for the Entrepreneurial Souls series debuts on Wednesday, September 16th, 2015 at Green Hills Events Center in Scotts Valley.For more information, call 824-4135.

Scotts Valley Police DepartmentAugust 1910:08 p.m. Health & Safety Offense.Subject contacted for trespassingon property from which he had beenrecently evicted on Mt. Hermon Rd.,SV. Evaluated for narcotics, testedpositive. Arrested.August 2000:09 a.m.: Battery at Best Western,Scotts Valley Dr., SV. Victim wasattacked by two suspects. Arrested.August 213:28 p.m.: Urinating in public at PG&EPlant on Mt. Hermon Rd., SV. Suspecthiding in bushes, possibly trying to cutfence to enter PG&E site. Arrested.9:19 p.m.: Male subject detained for theft outside K-Mart onMt. Hermon Rd., SV. Arrested.10:09 p.m.: Male suspect detained fordriving under the influence at Union 76gas station on Mt. Hermon Rd., SV. Arrested.Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s OfficeAugust 186:36 p.m.: Female detained for prostitutionon 6000 block of Scotts Valley Blvd, SV. ArrestedAugust 205:50 a.m.: Male subject in Felton foundto have two outstanding warrants aswell as approximately 4.3grams ofsuspected methamphetamine. Arrested.9:25 a.m.: Male subject on GrandviewStreet in Felton accused of criminalthreats and domestic violence. Arrested.4:00 p.m.: Publicly intoxicated male subjecttaken into custody on 6000 block of Graham HillRd., in Felton. Arrested.August 221:35 p.m.: Male subject in Felton in possessionof open container, under the influence ofalcohol, and in violation of his probationterms. Arrested.5:07 p.m.: Subject with outside agency mis-demeanor warrant on 6000 block of GrahamHill Rd., Felton. Arrested.

Mayor and Police Chief Working Together On Gun Shop SafetyBy Chief John P. Weiss, City of Scotts ValleyThe Scotts Valley Police Department recently proposed an ordinance to address gun shop security and safety in our town. The increase in local gun shops prompted us to examine this issue.While gun shops are highly regulated by Federal and State law, there are no requirements for alarm systems and video cameras. The current gun shops in town are professionally run (all have alarm systems and cameras) but we want to insure that they remain that way. Rather than reinvent the wheel, police staff researched neighboring jurisdictions and proposed an ordinance similar to others in other jurisdictions.Unfortunately, the convenience in following other regulations led to a somewhat hasty staff report that lacked adequate analysis. Gun shop owners and council members had valid concerns about certain provisions of the ordinance and several council members felt there were too many unanswered questions. It became obvious to police staff that more work was needed for the city council to make an informed decision.The police department’s main objective is to insure that gun shops are properly alarmed and equipped with camera systems (an invaluable resource for theft investigations.) The police department is designing a burglary and robbery protocol so local dealers know how to respond to such incidents. A modified ordinance will be brought back to the City Council and the City will explore a reasonable permit process for firearms dealers.The City of Scotts Valley prides itself on our commitment to public safety. We consistently have a low crime rate, vigilant police department and excellent programs like DARE and our Junior Police Academy. To that end, we will work together to insure local gun shops are safe, secure and well protected by our police staff.   Mayor and Police Chief Working Together On Gun Shop Safety By Dene Bustichi, MayorCity of Scotts ValleyAt last week’s city council meeting, the issue of existing and future retail gun shops was discussed. After listening to many comments on the subject, the City Council decided to defer action on a proposed ordinance and study the matter further. The consensus among the council was that the police department should do more inquiries on this matter and that, as written, the ordinance would have exempted the current gun shops from any proposed changes.The priority of this council is and always has been public safety. We reserve nearly 50 percent of our operating budget to achieve that goal. We also strive to craft a balanced approach to any matter that comes before us. To that end, I have asked staff (in coordination with the police department) to put two items on our agenda for the September 2nd meeting.A revised licensing ordinance from our police department which fully addresses the security and safety of gun shops in our community.A 45 day emergency moratorium of any new gun retailers, to allow the City Council to consider creating a conditional use permit process for any applicant who is considering opening up a retail gun shop. Throughout this process, the City Council and the police department have been and will continue to be proactive in dealing with this issue. Public comments and dialogue are always welcome in implementing measured and thoughtful policies that are best for our city. 

One of the more common concerns we hear when it comes to the appearance of someone’s smile is the presence of gaps between teeth. Many people want the spaces closed, and there are different ways to do that.