Guest Columnist

A community is defined by the people who take a leadership role. In the 20th century, Paul Johnston was constantly involved in the development of Aptos Village for more than 100 years.

The industrialization of Aptos as a lumber town and competition from new hotels in Santa Cruz, Capitola and Monterey, caused Spreckels to close his Aptos Hotel. In 1896, Spreckels tore down the Aptos Hotel and used the materials to build the factory and town of Spreckels near Salinas. He moved several whole buildings from Aptos to Spreckels.

The late 1960s and 1970s were a tumultuous time in America. The Vietnam War, serial killers, Civil Rights marches and the Black Power Movement were plastered across the nightly television news. Aptos was to get our own, very up-close-and-personal incident with the Black Power movement.

Growing concerns over the loss of housing and the commercialization of neighborhoods led the Board of Supervisors to request staff propose a set of new restrictions for vacation rentals. The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a set of guidelines for new restrictions that County...

The title is supposedly an acronym for where the name “golf” came from. I don’t like to be politically incorrect but, this is what is called an “old wives’ tale.” Women have been very involved in golf on the Monterey Bay. Marion Hollins, a championship golfer, developed the Cypress Point Club and Pasatiempo Golf Club.

As we write this month’s article, we are facing a sea of uncertainty. First and foremost, we understand yours and your loved one’s physical health is of primary concern. However, we wanted to use this article to discuss a few tips and resources to...

Where did the word "museum" come from? The word is from ancient Greece and describes a building or temple dedicated to the Muses. OK, who were the Muses? In mythology, they were the daughters of Zeus, the king of the many gods and goddesses, and Mnemosyne (nee-moss-ih-nee), the goddess of memory. The nine Muses were goddesses of the literary arts, music, visual arts, culture and science. The Muse, Clio, was the goddess of history. The Muses spark creativity in mortal people. Museums collect, preserve, interpret and display items of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance for the education of the public and for future generations. Above all, museums are storehouses of knowledge.

Before Rancho Del Mar and Safeway came to Aptos, that property was used for growing sugar beets and cauliflower. State Park Drive was lined on both sides with huge cypress trees. Highway 1 was a four-lane highway with no overpass or on-and-off ramps. Aptos was a small town but was getting ready for a growth spurt and the Cabrillo College Aptos campus was just being planned.

It’s May already and you know what that means… Pomp and Circumstance playing and kids in their caps and gowns graduating from high school and college and moving into the next phase of their life.

Happy New Year, Readers. It’s time to say ‘tis the Season. No, not that season—it’s TAX SEASON! Tax season involves long hours at the office with little to no time for anything other than work. But it also become a time of year where gratitude...