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APTOS — On Jan. 13, the Monterey Bay Chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers will hold its annual winter Scion Exchange at the Cabrillo College Horticulture Center in Aptos from noon to 3 p.m.

CAPITOLA — St. John’s Helpful Shop in Capitola Village is preparing to move out and find a new home after 65 years. A literal cornerstone of the village, St. John’s Helpful Shop first opened at its location on the corner of Monterey and Capitola avenues in 1953. Women from the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist, then located in the Depot Hill area of Capitola, opened the store to raise money for a new church carpet. Gradually, the church grew, and the shop became a way for St. John’s to expand its community outreach. Church and community members alike volunteer their time at the shop, with all proceeds given as grants to local nonprofits. The building that houses the Helpful Shop recently changed hands, said shop volunteer Daniel Oliver. This has prompted them to move out and possibly find a new location. “We’re currently making a decision of where and when we can reopen,” Oliver said. “We’d like to get the word out and ask help from the community.” In 2018, St. John’s Helpful Shop helped support 26 different organizations across the region — including Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes, Homeless Services Center, Native Animal Rescue, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Santa Cruz County and more. “That’s really the whole point,” Oliver said. “The outreach. We’d really like to keep that going.” Aug. 25 was the Helpful Shop’s final day open at its Capitola Village location. The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist is now located at 125 Canterbury Drive in Aptos, and Helpful Shop volunteers say they hope to find a location not too far from the church itself — but are open to other ideas. To contact St. John’s Helpful Shop, visit st-john-aptos.org.

A beautification effort of the Village four years ago resulted in permitting processes and fees being put in place before shops could legally place signs or display wares outside their shop.

Watsonville artist Bonni Carver heads up a painting class recently on the cliffs above the sea at La Selva Beach. Photo by Tarmo Hannula

Add another pair of accomplishments to Hannah Hocom’s impressive 2017-18 season. The Aptos High star junior basketball player was named an Academic All-American by the National High School Coaches Association late last month, and also earned a spot on Cal-Hi Sports’ All-State Underclassmen Third Team. A starting guard for the Mariners each of the last three seasons, Hocom was named the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League’s Most Valuable Player after leading Aptos to its first league title since the 2000-01 season. This newspaper also selected the 5-foot-9 sharpshooter as our Girls Basketball Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

There were several events special for the fair’s opening day. As per tradition, the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau and the Watsonville Firefighters Association hosted the Opening Day Barbecue in Paddy Smith Park. People enjoyed a lunch of tri-tip, salad and garlic bread while South Bay Swing Band performed nearby on the Amphitheater Stage.

"This scholarship will help me pay for college," Mora said. "I want to thank Mr. George Ow Jr. and the Ow Family for making the American Dream Scholarship possible."

With March 16 marking the one-year anniversary of a federal disaster declaration for January 2017 storms, the County of Santa Cruz announced the completion of more than $20 million in debris removal and road repairs, including several priority projects.

Aaron Lowe has been tapped as the new fire chief of the Aptos/La Selva Fire Protection District, the board of directors recently announced. Lowe was selected from a field of 31 applicants after a five-month nationwide recruitment process, according to fire district officials. His base salary is $190,000, according to a contract approved by the board of directors on April 12. “I’m truly excited about coming to the Aptos/La Selva area,” said Lowe, who begins his new post on April 23. “When this opportunity came up, I was thrilled. It’s quite an amazing opportunity that I did not want to pass up.”

Santa Cruz County homeless advocates on Jan. 18 released a request for proposals to help address the growing number of people living on the streets.