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Last year challenged us, not just globally and nationally, but, especially, locally. We know what happened here with the businesses shutting down and stay-at-home demands. Compounded by our local fires, we witnessed firsthand how small local towns band together and support their own. I...

They’re called the dog days of summer. You know, those sultry days with the hottest summer temperatures. The name “dog star” comes from the ancient Egyptians who called Sirius, the Dog Star, after their god, Osiris. His head in pictograms resembles that of a...

What happens to a plant when the thermometer tops 100 degrees? Planning for more hot weather this summer is a requirement for a successful garden. Are there some plants that can survive tough times more easily? Photosynthesis is one of the most remarkable biochemical processes...

Let’s get out of our comfort zone when training. Many of us associate training as a chore or we need motivation to workout. Many of us stay in our comfort zone because it’s where we feel safe. Living in our comfort zone helps us...

Organizers for the Santa Cruz County Fair say they are preparing for a complete in-person return of the annual event in September. Carnival rides, livestock shows, floriculture, arts and crafts, the Agricultural History Project, food booths, the pumpkin contest and the apple pie contest—they’re all...

Firefighters throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains were blanketed in surprise on June 29 when three women showed up with a number of free, hand-made quilts. Almost 80 firefighters from the Boulder Creek, Felton, Zayante and Ben Lomond fire protection districts received the gifts, which were...

Each year, Ben Lomond’s Little People’s Repertory Theater (LPRT) for children 8-14 hosts its annual summer theater program, culminating in a public performance that’s part campy, part sci-fi, part Marvel-ous and 100% original. In 2020, LPRT Executive Director Jannine Chadwick held her breath as she...

On the Fourth of July, Scotts Valley will ring in Independence Day with fluttering American flags as floats carry patriots down the street in the return of the city’s annual parade, something that was almost unimaginable just a few months ago. “I think others are...

Eggplant, that beautiful egg-shaped, purple and glossy fruit we order in a restaurant under the name of Eggplant Parmesan, so often comes to us overcooked, bitter and lackluster for want of proper preparation, we are sorry we had not ordered a different entrée. Now that...

Everything in the garden is full and lush in June. Your Japanese maple might be getting a little too full for your taste-outgrowing its space, crowding the neighbors, looking like a boring blob. Take the fear out of pruning with these easy steps. Pruning any...