55.2 F
Scotts Valley
June 30, 2025

Schools are in session

scotts valley school bell roger snyder
By the time you read this, your Scotts Valley schools will be educating our students on campus once more. Thanks to a significant effort from our teachers, principals, staff, Assistant Superintendent Michelle Stewart and Superintendent Tanya Krause, our district was the first in the...

New safety regulations

bruce mcpherson
As our community continues its recovery from last summer’s CZU Lightning Complex fire, a new concern has emerged. Proposed changes to fire safe regulations by the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection could directly impact numerous properties throughout Santa Cruz County, not just in...

Allergy mitigation landscaping

Jan Nelson The Mountain Gardener
According to historical records for our area the pollen count is mostly moderate in February. Depending on the weather, Pollen.com and Pollenlibrary.com show medium to high counts only for a few days this month. If you’re an allergy sufferer you don’t need a website...

Let Hybrid Learning begin

Scotts valley return to class
By Roger L. Snyder, Scotts Valley School Bell At last we have good news to share with our community on the move to bring students, teachers and staff back together on campus at our Scotts Valley schools. Assuming that there are no last-minute regulation changes, starting...

Controlling diseases and pests on fruit trees

the mountain gardener
I love it when a nice reader takes the time to call me to suggest a topic they’d like to see me write about or remind them what needs to be done at a certain time of year. Take Helen, who lives in Spring...

Winter’s bold fruit

plain talk about food
The Persimmon tree first caught my eye many years ago as I turned onto Highway 9 near my Ben Lomond home. Only minutes earlier I had been pondering about my choice of dessert for our annual Winter Solstice celebratory dinner. This tree seems to magically...

Rx for sad houseplants

The Mountain Gardener jan nelson
Tucked on window sills and tabletops, my houseplants clean the air and provide indoor beauty while the landscape outdoors is mostly resting. They are easy to keep healthy if I follow a few tips during the dark days of winter. it’s their time to...

Happy New Year, from the evolving Press Banner

The year 2021’s arrival is welcome news, and all of us at the Press Banner are excited about what lies ahead. Over the past three months, there have been some changes: new ownership, a new office, a new web site and an improved print...

Pantone Color of the Year 2021

the mountain gardener Primroses
Apparently, there was some controversy in 2019 over Pantone choosing Living Coral as its Color of the Year because healthy living coral is in short supply. I thought the color coral worked just fine in the garden but then Classic Blue won the top...

Happy New Year

The Mountain Gardener
Seems like 2020 lasted for longer than just one year. I, for one, am hoping for a less eventful year in 2021. As the calendar turns to a new year these are some of my thoughts for 2020. Well maybe they’re the same thoughts...

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Drainage improvement project on Highway 236 begins next week

The installation and replacement of new drainage pipes on Highway 236, from Boulder Brook Drive to Chipmunk Hollow Road in Boulder Creek, will begin...