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On July 30, a wild brush fire on Green Hills Rd. near Highway 17 in Scotts Valley was extinguished by 5:00 p.m. Present to help were fire fighters from Scotts Valley Fire District, Cal Fire, Santa Cruz and Felton Fire. In all, about dozen trucks were seen at the scene of the fire. There was a helicopter dropping fire retardant material and a water tanker flying to assist the helicopter.

On July 27, the Santa Cruz Police Department concluded their search for Madyson “Maddy” Middleton. At approximately 7:55 p.m., detectives located the body of a child matching Maddy’s description. It was found in a dumpster at the Tannery Arts Center complex at 1030 River Street. The official cause and manner of death will be determined at a pending autopsy by the Santa Cruz County Coroner. As of July 29, that information had not been made public.

It would have been nice if a table had been available for the food, but Jonney Hughes explained that the maintenance people from the Santa Cruz County Department of Parks had removed the one that used to be in that spot.“They said they were going to fix the table and bring it back, but we could not see that anything was wrong with it,” explained Hughes.The picnic was spread on a cement area under the trees and the hosts sat in canvas folding chairs around a spread of sandwiches, salads, fruit and desserts. “Those of us who can, pool our money and food so we can share with others,” said Hughes.Asked what it was like to be homeless, Teresa Fitzpatrick said “I am not homeless and not all of us are. Some of us have jobs, but don’t earn much –– not enough for rent and food,” said Fitzpatrick. “We all have different stories. Some of us are retired and get social security but it’s not enough for everything so we get stuck in this wilderness,” she said.“We are people who have raised families. We are good people who have fallen on hard times. It happens,” said Fitzpatrick. “The picnic table that used to be here was like a social center where we met to eat, sew, and visit,” said Hughes. She said “we have even held memorial services here for friends who have passed away.”The New Life Church in Santa Cruz provides some help to these folks. Richard Franconi distributes food to people that has been donated by the New Life Church. He walks around the park and hands out burritos. He said “I have been doing this for 15 years. I used to give about 30 and now it is only about 10.” He gives the food to hungry people even if they are not homeless.The people at the picnic were all wearing neat, clean clothes. Lise Lafontaine said that she was one of the homeless. She is a licensed hair stylist who cannot find work. “I cut hair for these people for free,” she said as she gestured at the circled of people. “I never thought that I would become homeless because I am a professional haircutter,” said Lafontaine. “Sometimes we get to shower at the Presbyterian Church,” she said. Otherwise, they have no access to water in order to stay clean.They told their stories and when it was time for lunch, the circle of people bowed their heads while Hughes led the group in a thank you prayer. Lunch was good. It would have been nicer if the picnic table had been there.The good news is that Alan Galran from Santa Cruz County Department of Parks said that the table will be replaced within two weeks.

Vern Billington was born on March 31, 1966, to Joan and Ron Billington. Raised in Boulder Creek, Vern graduated from San Lorenzo Valley High School class of 1984. He joined the United States Army in 1985. He served at Fort Hood, Texas and Wurzburg, Germany. He was a Tracked Vehicle Mechanic and Recovery Specialist. After his service, he attended the College of Oceaneering where he specialized in underwater welding and inspection.Vern worked for Pan Marine Constructors, Inc. performing underwater construction and welding; Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute as a Dock Foreman and Crane Operator, where he was responsible for placement of research submarines; and most recently as a Ride Mechanic for the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.To all those that knew him, he was a great man. But to some, he was even more — a: son, father, husband, brother, family member, friend, coworker, or a stranger who would lend a hand to anyone in need. He was kind and generous, loving and caring, strong and protective, and an inspiration to all of us.He was passionate about his beliefs, lived life the way he wanted, worked hard at everything, and never apologized for who he was. He loved our country and our military; he was a true patriot, a real American, and a hero to all that knew him.Every day, no matter where we go, we will be reminded of the man he was.Vern is survived by his loving wife of 23 years, Gina; daughter, Cherina; step-daughter, Shannin (and Jacob) Hunter; step-son Joe (and Summer) Carmack; mother, Joan Billington; sister Melissa (and Matt) Brown; grandchildren: Onyx! , Carly, James, and Anna; niece, Cambria; and nephews, Carrick and Cameron. He was preceded in death by his father and best friend, Ron Billington, and his granddaughter, Julie.We are all better people for having Vern in our lives – his impact on us will never be forgotten. We will miss Vern every day for the rest of our lives, but he will live on in our hearts.A Celebration of Life for Vern will be held at the Boulder Creek Fire Department, 13230 Highway 9, Boulder Creek on Saturday, August 1st at 2 p.m. Everyone who knew Vern is invited to join us.In lieu of flowers, a family friend has set-up an account to honor Vern’s wish for his daughter to finish college at www.gofund.me/zy2677qTo send your condolences to Vern’s family, share a memory or photo, or view his full obituary please visit www.scmemorial.com

Thousands crowded the street from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s Cocoanut Grove to the Santa Cruz Wharf.This year’s annual Wharf to Wharf race took place on July 26th. The six-mile race that was run from the Santa Cruz Wharf to the finish at Capitola’s Wharf Road began at 8:30 a.m.Other racers were there to do their best while enjoying a fun atmosphere. Many wore costumes or carried flags, like San Lorenzo Valley High School graduate Kaila Gibson who raced with the elites and was decked out in Superman running gear.Organized by expected finish time into corrals of runners, the competitors chatted, prepared, and warmed up with the help of upbeat music and warm-up dancers.It was 43 years ago when Santa Cruz’s Wharf to Wharf was only able to claim 273 runners. “I was here at the very first one in 1973,” said Ken Thomas, President of the race’s Board of Directors, “Today we’ve registered 16,000 runners.”This year’s race was especially important to the race’s future. “We are evaluating start and finish lines to see if we can add more people or if it’s going to stay the same,” said Race Director Scott McConville.“The elite athletes are really fast this year,” said McConville, “The depths of the men’s field is probably it’s strongest in the past ten years.”Elite level competitors come from around the globe to compete in Santa Cruz’s Wharf to Wharf, and many are hosted by local families. “The country that’s had representatives with the most success has been Kenya,” according to Thomas.One of these international runners, Shadrack Kosgei, hails from Kenya. This year’s race was not Kosgei’s first run in Santa Cruz, “I’ve won three times, second two times it’s going to be my sixth time [racing],” Kosgei said while warming up in front of the Boardwalk Bowl.Kosgei came in second behind Sam Chelanga, just missing what would have been his record-winning fourth win.Kosgei, Chelanga, and Risper Gesabwa, the women’s winner, all come from Kenya.Local volunteers play a huge part in making this race happen. Many of them come from the county’s high school sports teams. In the spirit of giving back, some of the proceeds from the race are given to help fund our local high school’s sports programs including San Lorenzo Valley Middle School, Scotts Valley’s Middle School and many other schools.The race also sponsors two scholarship funds. Two students are awarded scholarships annually from each fund; one fund is for two-years and the other for four years. Scholarships are awarded to high school scholar-athletes. Two recent recipients are San Lorenzo Valley’s Claire McMillan in 2014 and Scotts Valley’s Vanessa Fraser in 2013.Whether running for gold or to have a good time, the festive atmosphere of the race brings runners back year after year.

Every year in mid-July a group of over 30 teenagers make their annual pilgrimage to Mammoth Lakes, California for the Fall Creek Running Club’s high altitude training camp. From s’mores around the campfire to movie nights and hot springs, these kids enjoy the best that nature can offer while training for their upcoming cross country and track season.This year’s camp was held at the Shady Rest Campground from July 18 to 24 and hosted 34 teens and 12 parents.“I’d have to say getting to experience different trails and new places to train was really cool,” says first year camper Sophia Zachau, “Being able to do other things like going to the hot springs and June Lake while we were there was also nice; that way we were able to take a break from training constantly.”Brendan Fitzgerald, another camper, described his experience by saying, “Mammoth is a beautiful place with sun and flat land, a great town, lakes, hot springs, and many more things to do.”Rob Collins, coach of the Fall Creek Running Club and SLV track team, has been going on the trip since 1999. “A lot of the parents actually run it, I just show up and enjoy myself,” says Collins.The Fall Creek Track Club is not the only training group to have fallen in love with this location and all it has to offer. The Mammoth Lakes area is also the favorite training grounds of many of the nation’s top Olympic marathoners like Meb Keflezighi and Shalane Flanagan, and as many as two dozen other high school and college teams from across California.SLV alumni Anna Maxwell, one of the many returning runners, said “From dealing with the bears every night, to ghost stories and jokes around the campfire, to listening to the stories from battered and hairy Pacific Crest Trail hikers in the local volcanic hot springs; it’s all part of the experience. It’s a great place to get quality summer training in, but it is also a place that brings kids together and helps foster the team mentality that has lead the legacy of successful runners Coach Collins has produced.“Some of the campers are not even runners. Collins says, “We’ve had other kids from other sports — you don’t have to be a distance runner to do this; it’s just kind of a camping trip.”More information about the Fall Creek Running Club can be found at www.fallcreekrunningclub.org.