I wanted to take a friend on a special outing last month, but I struggled to come up with something that would be different, fun and memorable. Almost at the last moment, I decided we’d go to the horse races — and, man, it could not have worked out better.

At Wednesday’s City Council meeting, the city announced that Target Corp. had informed us they are no longer under contract with Title Two, the owner of the La Madrona Drive property that Target was once looking to acquire. Target told us, in their words, that while they are still very interested in this market, they are not part of the project, that they have no plans to reconsider their decision and that they are looking elsewhere in Santa Cruz County.

The first-time home buyers tax credit has helped boost prices in parts of San Lorenzo Valley, but it hasn’t lifted the gloom that hangs over Scotts Valley’s housing market.

EDITOR,

Friday, Nov. 6

• Anthony Montoya was born at 6:41 a.m. Oct. 23, 2009, to Carmen Lucia Rojas and Rogelio Montoya of Mount Hermon. He weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces at Santa Cruz Dominican Hospital.

EDITOR,

Friday, Oct. 30

Final public comments regarding the Scotts Valley Target Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) must be submitted to the city ([email protected]) by November 4, 2009.

The Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League gridiron clash that many preseason observers marked as one of the top contests of the year features two teams coming off disappointing weekends.