Press Banner

In the past couple of years, it seems as if the political pundits and media have done a good job of alerting us to the ballooning federal budget deficits, with little focus on our collective retirement deficit — the shortfall of our present savings to meet our future retirement income requirements.

Submit Datebook items to [email protected], or drop off press releases or photos at 5215 Scotts Valley Drive, Ste. F, Scotts Valley 95066. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday. Entries are subject to editing, and publication is not guaranteed.

With the help of my mother, my future mother-in-law and my bride-to-be, it looks like I’ve finally compiled a guest list. What I didn’t realize when I signed up for this job was that I would be slaving on this thing late into the night to perfect a list of close to 400 people — some of whom I don’t even know.

The following are three of the winning poems from the 2011 Verses in the Valley contest put on by the Scotts Valley Arts Commission. The winners were honored at a recent Scotts Valley City Council meeting, and the first-place poem from each division will be published in the Press-Banner over the next several editions.

- Submit Datebook items to [email protected], or drop off press releases or photos at 5215 Scotts Valley Drive, Ste. F, Scotts Valley 95066. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday. Entries are subject to editing, and publication is not guaranteed.

I have recently seen an increase in what is called hand, foot and mouth disease, and an increased number of cases have been reported to the county health department. Some countries outside of the U.S. have seen an even greater number of infected people.

Constipation is not exactly a dinner topic, but it is a condition that affects almost every living person at one time or another. It’s a common complaint at the doctor’s office.

- Submit Datebook items to [email protected] or drop off press releases or photos at 5215 Scotts Valley Drive, Ste. F, Scotts Valley 95066. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday. Entries are subject to editing, and publication is not guaranteed.