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“Rachel is an outstanding individual," Agri-Culture President Steve Bontadelli said. "She is a well-rounded person who has participated in several organizations including 4-H. She will be a great addition to our agriculture community when she returns from college.” Rachel Hodder was awarded Agri-Culture’s 2017 Jeannie Witmer Memorial Scholarship. Contributed photo

Girl Scout Troop 10213 of Aptos recently donated more than 50 jackets to Dominican Hospital as part of their holiday charity project. The 10- and 11-year-olds collected the coats through donation drives at Mar Vista and Soquel elementary schools. The jackets will be added to the hospital’s “patient closet,” and will be provided to any patient who needs a coat when they leave the hospital.

The Shadowbrook Restaurant in Capitola is hosting its annual “Dine for the Red Cross” fundraiser on Jan. 15.

County businesses, civic, community leaders and activists gathered for a luncheon on Nov. 2 at Twin Lakes Church in Aptos to launch the annual campaign.

Rudy Escalante is shown in 2012 as the new Capitola Police Chief. Escalante was recently named the CEO of Janus of Santa Cruz. File photo by Tarmo Hannula

A group of community members came together on April 3 at the Watsonville Public Library to discuss the state of health in Santa Cruz County. The United Way of Santa Cruz County and Applied Survey Research (ASR) hosted the conference, which was held to promote National Public Health Week. Speakers from both organizations as well as First 5 Santa Cruz County spoke about their partnership with the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program. Susan Brutschy of Applied Survey Research explained how County Health Rankings & Roadmaps has helped paint a broader picture of the triumphs and shortcomings of health in Santa Cruz County. Every year, the rankings seek to provide snapshots of the state of health in areas all over the U.S.

Cabrillo College in Aptos is shown in an aerial photo. The first classes were actually held in temporary quarters within the partially abandoned old Watsonville High School in 1959. Freshman enrollment was about 700 students at what was then known as Cabrillo Junior College, according to historian Sandy Lydon.

A little more than three decades after opening in Rancho Del Mar Shopping Center, Aptos Coffee Roasting Company will be closing. Owner Bronson Baker made the announcement Thursday on Facebook. According to Baker, Terramar Retail Center LLC, which owns the property, declined to renew the business’ lease. It now has until Aug. 31 to vacate the building.

A local math teacher left for a trip to New York City, where he received a prestigious teaching award. Matt Engle, who teaches at Monterey Bay Academy, has received the 2017 Rosenthal Prize for Innovation in Math Teaching. Engle earned the $25,000 award for his lesson, titled “Bringing Similarity Into Light: Experiencing Similarity and Dilations Using Shadows.” The lesson examines the shadows of shapes to explore concepts such as ratio, dilation, and proportionality in triangles.

Known as the "Cabrillo College Promise," the college is offering, for the first time, a free year of tuition for any graduating senior from a Santa Cruz County high school. Vice President of Student Services Sue Gochis said costs are prohibiting many potential students from attending a college, even to a relatively affordable community college such as Cabrillo.