Friday, Feb. 5

• Elle Emre McCombs was born to Junneen Emily Lee and Jason Slade McCombs of Scotts Valley at 2:07 a.m. Jan. 6, 2010. She weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz.

We are in the early years of a historic shift in economic power, away from the United States and toward China and other emerging economies. And Americans’ investment portfolios are beginning to reflect that shift.

EDITOR,

Flu activity seems to have quieted down recently, for which we can all be thankful. But the flu season is not over yet. Influenza is still out there.

EDITOR,

For many of us, the advent of a new year is accompanied by a list of resolutions. The end of the calendar year has always been a time for review, and the beginning of a new one gets us thinking about goals for the future. It’s the time when we are most likely to contemplate specific changes we want, or need, and most likely to make and resolve to follow through on those changes.

Recent winter storms brought rain, high winds and heavy surf to the coastal waters. The large winter swells have churned the local beaches and formed new sandbars.