Community

Ten years ago, in a quiet Felton barnyard, Wes Modes, 58, a UC Santa Cruz lecturer, and a few friends began piecing together a modest, 20-foot shantyboat from piles of salvaged redwood. Originally conceived as a weekend escape from Modes’ daily responsibilities, this handcrafted vessel...

A real-life Hallmark movie unfolded for the Scotts Valley-based 10U Banshees recreational girls’ softball team at Siltanen Park last Wednesday evening. After losing their first tournament game in devastating fashion (by giving up a five-run lead in the bottom of the last inning), the Banshees...

A local teacher-turned-author is making good on a promise to his former students in southern California. Chuck Ross and his wife Jenn relocated to Scotts Valley from Oxnard, Calif., last summer. Before leaving, Ross promised his then seventh graders that he would be back to...

The Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce last week took its supporters and benefactors on a Passport Around the World ride at its annual Community Awards Gala. The playful theme of international travel was woven throughout the event, held at Bret Harte Hall at Roaring Camp...

When it comes to making a positive difference in the lives of seniors and low-income households in Santa Cruz County, Damians Ladder is moving rung by rung. The nonprofit was established in 2023, celebrating the work of its namesake, Damian Lanctot of Ben Lomond. As...

Mountain Community Theater presents “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” a play by Simon Stephens—based on the novel by Mark Haddon—from May 16 to June 8 at Ben Lomond’s historic Park Hall, 9400 Mill St. This show, directed by Simon Hayward, is...

May is National Bicycle Safety Month, and Scotts Valley Police Department is urging everyone to prioritize bicyclist safety as warmer weather brings more riders onto the roads. In 2022, over 1,100 bicyclists were killed and more than 46,000 injured nationwide, highlighting the critical need for...

The definition of a poem is, “A piece of writing that partakes of the nature of both speech and song that is nearly always rhythmical, usually metaphorical, and often exhibits such formal elements as meter, rhyme, and stanzaic structure.” Remove the stuffiness of the wording...

Santa Cruz Downtown Toastmasters is celebrating a series of exciting achievements following the recent Toastmasters Division A Speech Contests—alongside a major club milestone: 70 years of helping local residents become confident speakers and leaders. Marq Lipton, of Aptos, earned first place in the International Speech...

During a midday ceremony last Friday at the Summit Store’s parking lot, in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains, community members joined with telecom and government officials to celebrate the completion of the first phase of Surfnet Communications’ rural internet expansion. Mark Morgenthaler, Surfnet’s...