No Parking
Four state parks in Monterey County are set to close in July. You’ll probably be able to play there anyway.
Austin Keegan kneels on a tiny footbridge on Garrapata State Park’s Rocky Ridge Trail and replaces a damaged plank with pre-cut lumber from home. “It’s just basic maintenance,” he says. “It needs to be done.” ...
Issues / 2012 / Mar 01
Running 100 Miles for Fun
Locals travel well beyond marathons in preparation for the Western States century race.
Monterey’s Brian Robinson had been running for 12 hours when he vomited. “I was scared because I had never experienced being nauseous,” he says. “It devastated me.” Instead of rah-rah support, his wife and pacer ...
Brezsny's Astrology Mar. 1-7, 2012
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): At one point in his book The Divine Comedy, the Italian poet Dante is traveling through purgatory on his way to paradise. American poet T.S. Eliot describes the scene: “The people ...
By the Numbers: 03-01-12
Real Estate
$2,500,000 Recent Sale 3181 Bird Rock Road, Pebble Beach Built: 1996 Size: 2,269 square feet Features: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2-car garage Amenities: Fireplace, vaulted ceilings, deck with barbecue area, ocean view Seller: Peter and ...
Devil Sushi Dare
Testing one’s mettle versus Harumi nigiri – plus a new Big Sur spot.
It doesn’t appear on the menu with the yummy orgy of tempura that is the Captain Crunch Roll ($13.50) or the stylish Big Sur ($11.50) with its unagi, crab salad, avocado and ebi wrapped in ...
Super Seeds
Planting the seed of seed ordering to make glorious gardens possible – and full of personality.
Ordering seeds in winter might seem like jumping the gun, but the days are getting longer, and it’s almost time to start the garden. If you aren’t picky about the varieties you want to grow, ...
Long and Short of It
The Banff Mountain Film Festival showcases 10 films about outdoor adventurers and how they use nature to make sense of it all.
Australian Tim Cope is three years into a journey that has taken him by horse from Mongolia to Hungary. Cope, who never rode a horse before this trip, set out to follow in the footsteps ...
Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax
Agent Orange: Seussian saga The Lorax will win little kids with brightly colored characters but parents shouldn’t expect too much.
Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, much like the Happy Feet films before it, has all the subtlety of a hammer to the skull. Yes, environment-friendly themes are important to impart on impressionable young minds, but it’s ...
A Separation
Family Laws: Iranians live within the bounds of Islam as they face their own feelings on marriage, family and love.
A Separation, a tense family drama set in contemporary Iran and written and directed by Asghar Farhadi, just won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film and was nominated for Best Screenplay, both firsts for Iranian ...
Rolling Tones
On the way to Carmel, Béla Fleck talks about reconvening the original Flecktones and their lasting appeal.
About 20 years ago, something magical happened. An innovative banjoist, Béla Fleck, hooked up with bassist Victor Wooten (who’s been named Bass Player of the Year in Bass Player magazine more than anyone). Wooten’s brother ...
Sweet Dixie Debuts
The 32nd annual Jazz Bash by the Bay celebrates Dixieland with several new faces.
There will be many familiar sounds returning to the Jazz Bash by the Bay, including the vintage blues of the Big Mama Sue Quartet, the humor-laden ragtime of the Titan Hot Seven and the Broadway-adoring ...
Water Wooing
Nader Agha courts Pacific Grove as the potential lead of his desal project.
Local real-estate mogul Nader Agha is certain he’s got an affordable solution for the Monterey Peninsula’s water crisis. But his People’s Moss Landing Water Desalination Project can’t move forward without a public agency to lead ...
Bridges to Somewhere
Frozen construction at Pfeiffer Big Sur is set to restart this month.
A walk through Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park turns up some odd structures: the rebar-studded foundation of a pay station that was never built; the four concrete abutments of two aborted bridges. They’re starkly institutional ...
Feeling Drained
Seaside considers tough cuts, including a potential closure of Pattullo Swim Center.
Former Seaside Rec Director Dave Pacheco and current City Councilman Dennis Alexander can be spotted swimming laps at the Pattullo Swim Center on Wheeler Street, where local youth descend regularly for lessons and a whole ...
United Front
Greenfield’s indigenous population builds political influence through community meetings.
Without microphones, presenters shouted in Spanish and an interpreter translated into the indigenous Mexican language Triqui over the chatter of about 100 children. It was hard to hear details in a crowd of nearly 300 ...
Letters To The Editor 3.01.12
Graffiti Logic Four years ago, Santa Barbara was complaining about having to spend as much as $200,000 per year cleaning graffiti. My suggestion for Monterey County: Create a graffiti park (“A game of tag,” Feb. ...
LOCAL SPIN: Felony Stupid
La Coasta Nostra boys refer Shriner to Grand Jury.
Dear Members of the Marina Coast Water District Board who aren’t Jan Shriner (also known as Howard Gustafson, Ken Nishi, Dan Burns and Bill Lee): I have to admit, I was a little hurt when ...
Street Talk 03-01-12 asked at Home Depot in Seaside.
What amazing athletic ability would you like?
Follow-up: What sort of preparation would you need for a marathon? CARLY BETHUNE | Sales Rep | San Jose A: The triple-jump. It’s a track-and-field event. I did it as a kid. But I’m not ...
Squid Fry 3.01.12
Squid Speaks
NOVEMBER CALLING… The general election is still nine months away, but even as Squid enjoys hunkering down with a bowl of well-buttered, shrimp-flavored popcorn and a good GOP debate on TV, Squid is starting to ...
Get Involved
Public Citizen 03-01-12
ONGOING WOMEN IN BUSINESS | SALINAS – El Pájaro Community Development Corporation offers a 13-week training for female entrepreneurs. 6:30-9:30pm Thursdays in Salinas, Wednesdays in Watsonville. Begins March 7. Call to apply: 7722-1224, www.elpajarocdc.org. THURSDAY ...
Gonzales community group alleges trash-zapping plant process violates civil rights.
The effects of a proposed garbage gasification plant that would generate power from trash has electrified Gonzales activists. Asamblea de Poder Popular plans to file civil rights complaints alleging the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority ...
