Monterey Institute Gets Terror Money

The Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies has been brought into a program funded by the Department of Homeland Security to study how terrorist groups organize and collaborate, and how to disrupt those networks.

The federal funding amounts to $12 million over three years, spread among 18 institutions studying terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. MIIS will receive around $100,000 per year.

Gary Ackerman, a senior terrorism researcher at the institute, says the government has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to knowledge of terrorist threats. “They want to see what academia can come up with.”

Ackerman points out that letters containing anthrax that killed several people in the days following September 11 were not only proof of advanced knowledge and ability, but the sender has still not been caught. Unlike natural disasters, terrorism is a manmade threat. “It’s something we can try to work against,” he says. [AS]

High Schoolers Headed to Trial

Starting Thursday, Jan. 20, local law firm Lozano Smith and the Lyceum of Monterey County are taking groups of students from seven local high schools to trial. And the students are glad.

Seaside, Alisal, Salinas, Pacific Grove, Monterey, Notre Dame, Palma, and York High Schools are all sending teams to participate in the 7th Monterey County Mock Trial at the Monterey Courthouse as part of a statewide tournament that involves over 8,000 students and several thousand volunteers from California’s bar and bench associations each year.

Each team has worked with local attorney-coaches from Lozano Smith since October to prepare pre-trial motions and their strategies as either prosecution or defense in the case People vs. Kendall, a fictional vehicular manslaughter case. The unique one-on-one interaction between students, teachers, judges, and attorneys is a hallmark of the program, says Denise Mello, the mock trial coordinator.

Attorneys seated in the jury box determine the local winner according to their evaluation of each team’s four trials (two each as defense and prosecution). The winning team advances to the state finals (where last year’s local winner, Palma, finished 11th). The public is invited to attend trials this Thursday, Jan. 20, through Saturday, Jan. 22. For a schedule, call the Lyceum at 372-6098 or visit www.lyceum.org. [MA]