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In anticipation of upcoming budget hearings, last week members of the Scotts Valley City Council discussed capital improvement priorities for next fiscal year, as well as the next five years, as detailed in the “Five-year Capital Improvement Plan” submitted by Interim Public Works Director Steve Hammack.

Having treated thousands of cases of poison oak in my career, I’d like to share with you what I’ve learned about this miserable affliction.

I’m envious of those of you who garden in lots of sun. Well maybe not so much on a hot July day but mostly I wish I could grow more edibles in the opening of my tall redwood forest. My neighbor gives me volunteer Sun Gold cherry tomatoes each spring and some years all the stars align and I enjoy these sweet morsels, picking them mostly as I putter in the garden. They rarely get inside on a salad but boy, are they delicious.

In a first-time-ever collaborative project, five Santa Cruz County Rotary Clubs joined forces to refurbish parts of the Homeless Services Center (HSC) on Coral Street on Sat. April 7. Nearly 50 volunteers sanded and painted support pillars, benches, and picnic tables. They also installed new flooring and baseboards in the HSC dining hall.

How local news covers a tragedy

“Could it be? Yes it could. Something’s coming, something good…” Tony sings with a floating falsetto, played by San Lorenzo Valley High School’s very own junior, Jack Calden. His expressions illuminate center stage and he excitedly sings his centerpiece solo for the legendary musical, West Side Story.

Despite Santa Cruz County’s reputation as one of the least affordable places to live in the state, if not the country, real alarm has been expressed at recent Scotts Valley City Council meetings about the housing boom the city is facing in the not too distant future.  Public comment at city council meetings has included emotional criticism and strong recommendations of caution- that the small town character of Scotts Valley is directly threatened by actual and proposed housing developments.

Josephine Turcot had been escorted to her coronation as Water Carnival Queen by a suite of handmaidens.  On her journey to Palo Alto to enroll in Stanford, the following September, her retinue consisted of only one lady—her Aunt Catherine.  Upon her return to Santa Cruz, Mrs. Logan plunged into a new project--helping to host the Grand Council of the Catholic Ladies’ Aid Society.

For Scotts Valley Police Officer John Hohmann the chance to race police cars on a speedway to raise money for Special Olympics was an idea long in the making.

Earth Day celebrates the natural beauty of our planet and reminds us of what we can do to keep it healthy. Always on April 22nd, Earth Day is a day of education about environmental issues and is now a global celebration. In anticipation of this day I recently spent the morning in nature at the UCSC Arboretum where the birds and the bees were enjoying the nectar flowers. Whether you plant a tree, clean up litter, garden, hike in the woods or marvel at emerging wildflower, be in contact with the soil and breathe fresh air outside on this day.