Three San Lorenzo Valley High runners and one Scotts Valley High distance runner qualified for the Central Coast Section finals with strong races at

Nichole Wangsgard hopped off a plane on Sunday morning and sprinted to her second consecutive Scotts Valley Grand Prix title.

Striped bass may be a non-native species in California, but they have a stronghold and their numbers this year appear robust. Striped bass are being caught from Monterey Bay to the rivers of the Central Valley.

The other day, I was leafing through the Harris' Farmer's Almanac 2011 Gardening Guide looking for gardening tips and checking out the regional weather forecasts for the year. This classic booklet has been published "for use of farmers, planters, mechanics and all families" since 1818 and contains "weather forecasts, planting tables, and a variety of matter useful and entertaining." If you haven't read one lately, I can tell you it lives up to its promise. Here is just a sampling.