On Friday April 20, students across the country walked out of class as part of a National School Walkout to demand action on gun reform. It also marked the 20th anniversary of the shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado.

Out with the old, in with the new.

The Scotts Valley Community Theater Guild has a vision for what could be the city’s first cultural art center, but it won’t come without barriers.

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.