Scotts Valley Police DepartmentAugust 611:53 a.m.: Two vehicles were vandalized incurring $800 in damage when screws were placed in the tires. The vehicles were parked next to the SV Parks and Recreation building and the incident may have been in retaliation to the closing of the Scotts Valley Skate Park.8:11 p.m.: An intoxicated male with a rolling suitcase was arrested for public intoxication near a fast food restaurant on Mount Hermon Road.August 710:33 a.m.: A wallet was stolen from a car at the Spring Lakes Mobile Home Park in Scotts Valley.9:21 p.m.: A fight at a movie theatre in Scotts Valley resulted from an intoxicated suspect seeking a refund.Santa Cruz County Sherriff’s OfficeAugust 51:30 p.m.: A suspect was arrested for outstanding warrants, violation of probation and for possession of burglary tools on Willowbrook Drive in Ben Lomond.August 63:15 p.m.: A suspect was arrested for public intoxication on the 6000 block of Highway 9 in Felton.August 78:14 a.m.: A suspect was arrested for shoplifting on the 6200 block of Graham Hill Road in Felton. A pair of metal knuckles was found in the suspect’s purse.2:27 p.m.: Suspect was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and felony vandalism on the 6200 block of Graham Hill Road in Felton.August 83:58 p.m.: Two men were arrested in Felton, one for public intoxication and the other for an outstanding bench warrant.11:41 p.m.: A golf cart and other items valued at $3750 were stolen from the 16900 block of Highway 9 in Boulder Creek.August 912:10 a.m.: A suspect was arrested for driving under the influence after a traffic stop in Scotts Valley.August 108:30 a.m.: A subject was detained after deputies found her to be a danger to herself on Redwood Drive in Felton.12:51 p.m.: A suspect was arrested for a violating the terms of his probation in Boulder Creek.5:46 p.m.: During a car stop, a felon on supervised release was found to be in possession of an unregistered and loaded firearm and arrested in Boulder Creek.August 117:28 a.m.: $488 in items was stolen from a home on Mellow Hollow Road in Lompico.5:02 p.m.: A juvenile was detained in Boulder Creek after deputies determined him to be a danger to himself.10:45 p.m.: A suspect was arrested for driving under the influence after deputies went to investigate a report of reckless driving on the 6600 block of Highway 9 in Felton.

Scotts Valley High School555 Glenwood Drive in Scotts Valleyhttp:/svhs.santacruz.k12.ca.us/Led by Principal Valerie Bariteau, the school continues to thrive. This year, enrollment is up to 850 students which exceeds the previous year by 60 students.Asked what is new, Bariteau said that they have five new instructors. In Humanities, there are two new people teaching history. They are Kirk Jennings and Andrew Ligeti. The new Mathematics teacher is Vito Chiaramonte. Two new Physical Education and Health teachers are Lewis LaHood and Megan Hill. In the World Languages subject area, Sudha Schneiter will be teaching Spanish.A new position brings another staff member. The school now will have a full time counselor. This position is filled by Sarah Hershey. “We are very happy to have her,” said Bariteau.Alongside the other schools in the Scotts Valley Unified School District, Bariteau says that SVHS will continue with refining their Common Core Math Curriculum standing. “This year we have reached the Math 3 level.”“We have added a new science course, ‘Introduction to Environmental Science’,” explained Bariteau. This class will be for students who want to know more about science without having to become a scientist to enjoy the subject.Bariteau was very excited to explain the function of a School Resource Officer, since they have a new one. His name is Chris Culwell and he is a Scotts Valley Police Officer. Being on staff, Culwell will be a resource to Staff, Teachers in the classroom and for students. “He will be able to respond to student’s questions about ‘youth and law’ concepts,” she said. “It has been at least seven years since we have had an SRO on staff and we are all very happy to have Chris,” explained Bariteau.St. Lawrence Academy6184 Highway 9 in Felton335-0328http://www.stlawrenceacademy.comMonday, Aug. 24 is the first day of classes at the private kindergarten through eighth-grade campus in downtown Felton. The first day will be a minimum day from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.Representatives were unable to be reached before the Press-Banner’s deadline.Vine Hill Elementary School151 Vine Hill School Road in Scotts Valleyhttp://www.vinehill.santacruz.k12.ca.us/438-1090When Vine Hill Elementary School opens its doors on Wednesday, Aug. 24, Julie Ebert, Principal, will have added a new kindergarten class. “We are pleased to welcome Megan Prather to teach this new class,” said Ebert. Ebert said that Julie Ross will be teaching first grade. Moving from first grade to second is Yasmine DeCleve who will be job sharing with Jacqui Weiss. In the third grade, Ebert welcomes Katie Blue who comes from Santa Cruz County Schools. Hannah Walsh moves from the fifth grade to the fourth grade and Angelique Bright goes from third to the fifth grade. Ebert is looking forward to a fabulous year with these staff changes.Last year there were about 530 students enrolled, this year the number is at 568 and growing.Ebert says that they continue to implement their one to one device program for the third through fifth grades with Chromebooks. The District funded a portion of the project and the remainder was funded by a very generous PTA.San Lorenzo Valley Elementary School7155 Highway 9 in Feltonhttp://sle.slvusd.org/335-4475When school starts on August 24th at 8:20 a.m.,Principal Shannon Calden will be proud to introduce nine new staff members. Daniel Brenner and Megan Glover will be teaching the fifth grade. In the fourth grade the new teachers are Laura O'Sullivan and Lauren Romano. Jessica Curcio will be teaching science to the fourth and fifth grade. Heather Odegard is on board to teach the first grade and Hayley Winkleblack will teach Transitional Kindergarten. Special Education will be taught by Dawn Mikolyski and Ben Beck is the new Instructional Aide.Calden says “our focus for the year will be to continue implementation of the common core standards” In doing so, she said that they will “use technology as a tool for students in the classroom, and focus on college and career readiness for all students.”“We are expecting 640 students TK- fifth grade this year” said Calden.Calden lists the class schedule for all TK-fifth grades:First - third grade - 8:20 a.m. - 2:15 p.m.Fourth - fifth grade - 8:20 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.TK and Kindergarten - 8:20 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.First - fifth will be dismissed at 1:25 p.m. every Wednesday.Brook Knoll Elementary School151 Brook Knoll Drive in Santa Cruzhttp://www.brookknoll.santacruz.k12.ca.us/423-2454In his second year at the helm as Principal, Josh Wahl welcomes 540 students back to school. He is pleased to introduce Haley Eggleston as a new First Grade Teacher. Beth Gray is continuing as the Special Education Preschool Teacher, covering for maternity leave of absence of the prior teacher. Amber Julien is joining the staff as one of the two Multi Grade teachers in Room 1.Along with Vine Hill Elementary School, BKES increased Chromebooks so that all 3rd, 4th and 5th grades have class sets.Classes at BKES start on Wednesday, August 26.BKES will be hosting a ‘Meet and Greet’, on Tuesday, August, 25 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., where students and parents can come and meet the new teachers and check out the classrooms.Back to School Night will be held on September 2, in the early evening.First Day Packets are currently available for pick up and REagle (Registration Days for Eagles) are scheduled for August 19 – 20. Details are on the Brook Knoll website: http://www.bk-scottsvalley-ca.schoolloop.com/ Baymonte Christian School5000-B Granite Creek Road in Scotts Valleyhttp:/www.baymonte.org438-0100Baymonte Christian School is an interdenominational Christian school for children between preschool through the eighth grades. Principal Steve Patterson said that this year that Jared Fujishin will be teaching ‘Bible’ to the sixth through eighth grades. New also, is elementary teacher Megan Torchio who will be teaching the third grade.Boulder Creek Elementary School400 Lomond Street in Boulder Creekhttp://bce.slvusd.org/338-6413Denise Fosburgh, Principal, reports that “each grade level will enjoy a new teacher. We have a total of seven new teachers,” she says. “Some of them have relocated from other teaching positions and others are brand new to the profession.”Fosburgh said that at least twelve of her teaching staff attended advanced training courses at other institutions during the summer on their own time. “They are excited about what they learned and are looking forward to sharing it with their students,” said Fosburgh.A total of 525 students will commence classes on August 24 when school starts.Scotts Valley High School555 Glenwood Drive in Scotts Valleyhttp://www.svhs.santacruz.k12.ca.us/439-9555Please contact the school for a new bell schedule. Some classes may be starting five minutes earlier than the previous year.San Lorenzo Valley Charter School7101 Highway 9 in Feltonhttp://charter.slvusd.org/336-8527Led by Charter Administrator, Rhonda Reed-Schlosser, SLVCS, provides a variety of learning experiences.SLV Charter is an umbrella school that includes Nature Academy, various homeschool programs: Quail Hollow, Fall Creek, Coast Redwood middle and high schools, and Mountain Independent Study. “Two of the hybrid homeschool programs, BC and SLV Homeschool, are blending together this year to create the Quail Hollow Homeschool program,” said Reed-Schlosser.  The schools enroll students ranging from kindergarten through 12th grade, and implement the same type of Common Core curriculum as seen at the more traditional schools. All of the programs continue to enhance the students’ core curriculum with thematic courses, field trips and enrichment experiences to better support their academic and social-emotional development. The school received their first WASC accreditation at the end of last year. WASC stand for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. "WASC accreditation recognizes schools that meet an acceptable level of quality, in accordance with established, research-based WASC criteria," explained Reed-Schlosser.The 2015-16 school year starts on August 24 with an opening enrollment of 300 students. Asked what is new, Reed-Schlosser announced “We have hired a new math teacher, Brian Heery, who has extensive experience teaching math from fifth grade through pre-calculus, as well as a background teaching physics and Aikido.” They are also completing the hiring of additional teachers for their Quail Hollow campus. Julie Walker is their new Administrative Assistant, and Tarah Locke has been hired as a part-time secretary.

Dear EditorRE: New Funding Challenges for School Parent GroupsSafeway has been very good to our schools in the San Lorenzo Valley. The High School alone has raised over $50,000 over the last four years through the Safeway eScrip program, and the staff at our local Felton store have been very supportive and helpful during the Back-to-School fundraisers.Unfortunately, as of August 1, the corporate office of Safeway has decided to discontinue its relationship with eScrip. This means that the parent groups at BCE, SLE, SLVMS and SLVHS will be looking for other fundraising activities this fall and beyond, so that they can maintain support for the schools.If you have a student enrolled in any of our schools, please pay special attention to information on how you can sign up to the other passive fundraisers run by the school, and consider giving additional support to the fundraising events.Safeway has said it remains committed to funding projects which are important to local communities, so please show your support for our schools on www.Safeway.com and find the Contact Us page.Jill Collen, SLVHS Cougar Parents ClubMelissa Avilla, SLVMS Panther ClubBrandy Escott, SLVE Bobcat ClubTammy Schultz, BCE Parents Club   o The Editor,  As a hiker and 34 year Bonny Doon resident, I would love to see the Bureau of Land Management’s Coast Dairies unit added to the existing California Coastal National Monument.This will be accomplished by legislation just introduced by California’s Senators Boxer and Feinstein. I believe this upgrade to Monument status will bring additional protections and resources. Since I live adjacent to these BLM lands I want this higher level of protection as the unit is opened for public access.  As a State Parks volunteer docent, I appreciate that nearby Big Basin Redwoods and Wilder Ranch State Parks have extensive trail systems. However, continuing population growth means that additional high quality natural areas like this National Monument expansion need to be given maximum protection now. The National Monument will provide much needed educational and trail user opportunities with expansive ocean views from its coastal meadows, woodlands, creek canyons and upland redwoods, while protecting Native American cultural sites   Barry Grimm, Bonny Doon  Dear Editor,I want to thank Senator Boxer and Senator Feinstein for their effort and leadership in working with local community leaders to establish the Cotoni – Coast Dairies National Monument. This elevated status upgrade to the Coast Dairies property will allow for federal protections in perpetuity and make access free and open to everyone. It is of utmost importance that we protect this cherished land so that our communities can enjoy what the North Coast has to offer as well as pass on a legacy of environmental advocacy to future generations. Thank you, to Senator Boxer and Senator Feinstein, and thanks’ to you Congresswoman Eshoo for leading the way.Madeleine ConwaySanta Cruz  Dear Editor,I was walking Molly, my chocolate lab on Graham Hill Rd. near the corner of Sims Rd. this morning when two lovely ladies crossed the street coming toward us. Molly, who is very skittish about everything, got “spooked" by their presence and decided to bolt. Unfortunately, she took me with her. She weighs 109 lbs., almost as much as I do, so I landed flat on my face on the gravel path. A very kind young man named Rusty from Ben Lomond was driving on his way to go surfing. When he saw what happened, he got out of his truck. Not only did he help me get back on my feet, he walked me and Molly home. Thank you, Rusty, for your act of kindness. Perhaps one day I can help you in return.Dianne Kessler,Felton  

Interest rates are the lowest they’ve been in human history, and they’ve been this low for almost seven years. On September 17, the Federal Reserve Bank, at long last, might raise its rate for overnight loans to banks – the Fed funds rate – from approximately zero to slightly above zero.They’ve been itching to raise rates for over a year now. Just last week, Federal Reserve board member, Dennis Lockhart said “the central bank is ready to hike.”I’m not convinced it will happen, but if it does, what effect will the increase have on residents of Scotts Valley and San Lorenzo Valley?Rising interest rates would be good news for savers, who would receive more interest on their savings. They would be bad for homeowners with adjustable-rate mortgages, because their monthly payments would rise. They also might be bad for home prices, as higher borrowing costs make it harder for buyers to qualify for a loan.The current ultra-low rates are the result of emergency measures taken by the Fed during the financial crisis of 2008. In an effort to prevent a depression like the 1930s, the Fed cut short-term rates to near zero to spur economic activity.That move was led by “Helicopter Ben” Bernanke, then chair of the Fed and so nicknamed because he once quipped that, if necessary, he would drop hundred-dollar bills from a helicopter to prevent another depression.Emergency measures aren’t supposed to last seven years. So Fed officials want to raise rates now, partly to show that their policy has worked.But has it?Well, the plan was to provide easy money to lift inflation – not too much, just enough to prevent deflation, or falling prices, like the U.S. experienced in the 1930s. However, low rates have had unexpected consequences:Inflation: The cycle is supposed to work this way: When the economy slows down, companies make less money and weak ones go out of business. When the economy heats up, the surviving companies can raise prices because of less competition. So inflation rises.But this long stretch of easy money has kept afloat weak companies that in a normal economic cycle wouldn’t survive, so they keep churning out supply and reducing inflation pressures. We’ve seen this in such industries as energy, mining and agriculture.Jobs: Easy money is supposed to encourage companies to hire. However, partly because of uncertainty about taxes and health care costs, companies have been reluctant to hire, instead they borrow cheap money to buy back their own stock and the stock of other companies. When companies merge, they lay off workers.The very low jobless rate of 5.3 percent reported a week ago doesn’t count people who have stopped looking for work or are not working as many hours as they want. The percentage of adults in the workforce remained very low at 62.6 percent.But the main reason interest rates aren’t likely to rise much in the near future is that the economy can’t handle it. In the last seven years, the federal debt has ballooned from $10 trillion to $18 trillion. The U.S. is paying an average interest rate of 1.5 percent on that debt.If the average rate rose by 1 percent to 2.5 percent, still very low historically, that would add $180 billion a year in borrowing cost. The government nearly shut itself down twice in recent years because lawmakers couldn’t find $30 billion in spending cuts. How on earth could we afford an extra $180 billion?My guess is that interest rates will stay low, at least for now.Mark Rosenberg is a financial adviser with Financial West Group in Scotts Valley, a member of FINRA and SIPC. He can be reached at 831-439-9910 or [email protected]