56.7 F
Scotts Valley
January 2, 2026

The Mountain Gardener: Can an almanac predict the weather?

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.

Wine Lover: Summertime is time for rosé wine

Summer is fast approaching, and its time to stock up on your rosé.

Girls on the Run have so much fun

Ten girls from different local elementary schools ran in the ‘Girls on the Run’ 5 kilometer race on Saturday May 14, at Vasona Park in Los Gatos. Girls on the Run is a running group with special emphasis on confidence and morale boosting, self esteem and healthy choices for elementary aged girls. The group met at Baymonte Christian School in Scotts Valley for training twice a week, then joined with over 2,500 other girls to run the 5k (3.05 mile) loop in Vasona Park.

SLV Little League

Majors

Track athletes to showcase talent at CCS

The Central Coast Section will be holding the qualifying track meet this weekend on Saturday May 21, at Gilroy High school. Athletes from the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League will be representing the county and a healthy portion of those will be from the Valleys.

It’s The Law: Frivolous lawsuits, continued

Last month, I wrote about the problems witnesses pose, for both lawyers and clients. I spoke of the construction manager at Scotts Valley High School whose false testimony forced my client to sue the school district to get paid. In response, a letter writer suggested that my client should not have pursued the debt owed to him, apparently for the sole reason that the debtor was a school. This seems a dicey way for schools to balance their budgets — to refuse to pay their debts. I am curious what our letter writer thinks will happen when the district stops paying Pacific Gas and Electric Co. or fails to issue paychecks to its teachers.

New Faces

David Gabriel Padilla was born at 2:12 p.m. April 25, 2011, to Laura Angelica Castillo and Jose Alfredo Padilla of Scotts Valley. He weighed 8 pounds at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz.

Your Health: Human body statistics

I recently had the pleasure of visiting my healthy 95-year-old aunt Grace, and then I thought about my 97-year-old neighbor Vic, and it made me realize just how amazing the human body is to keep functioning for so many years. I am awestruck by this body of ours that began with just two microscopic cells coming together and developing into a complex living organism made up of some 75 trillion cells, many of which have specialized to perform amazing functions, making us the incredible beings that we are.

Mount Madonna claims its vengeance on SLV

Last season the Mount Madonna boy’s volleyball team fell in the league finals to San Lorenzo Valley High School, losing their shot at the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League title. This year the Hawks earned their revenge on the Cougars beating them 25-17, 25-23, 25-21 to capture the league tournament. The game was played May 6 at Aptos High.

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News Briefs

News Briefs | Published Jan. 2, 2026

Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau named ‘County of the Year’ Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau received the “County of the Year” award at the California...