Friday, July 31
Apple moth quarantine expands in Monterey County; draft EIR released.
Consider it a sort of house arrest for crops. Nursery stock, cut flowers, and many fruits and vegetables within a 16-square-mile area near Gonzales will be quarantined to contain the spread of the invasive light ...
Monning: Governor's line-item vetoes cross constitutional line
Central Coast Assemblymember Bill Monning is questioning the constitutionality of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's controversial line-item vetoes, which were made during Tuesday's budget signing. “Based upon my reading of the California Constitution, the Governor’s line item ...
Boxer to visit Pajaro to highlight flood protection project
Sen. Barbara Boxer will visit Watsonville tomorrow to highlight the Pajaro River Flood Protection Project. This week the Senate passed a bill, which includes $425,000 sought by Boxer to help upgrade the Pajaro River's levee ...
Farr seeks National Park designation for Pinnacles
Rep. Sam Farr today introduced legislation that would establish Pinnacles National Park, upgrading the 14,500-acre region from a national monument. “Upgrading Pinnacles to a National Park makes sense for historic, natural and economic reasons,” Farr ...
Go Bloom
Carmel Valley author-artist draws Favorite Wildflowers of the West Coast.
Mary Barnas Pomeroy finished her 146-page book—one that overflows with color and insight—recently. Its inspiration began to accumulate long ago, though, when Pomeroy was a young child running the wild landscapes of her native province ...
Thursday, July 30
Melodic Fellowship
Spirit West Coast 2009 delivers an old spiritual message with new contemporary music
After a soft opening on Wednesday, the 13th annual Spirit West Coast at Laguna Seca Recreation Area shifted into high gear Thursday with more than a dozen contemporary Christian music acts, from a line-up of ...
Hot to Trot
A local dancer hits a big stage this weekend.
Tomorrow Carmel's Doris Smith fox trots into the International Grand Ball in San Francisco. After being introduced to ballroom dance by local and Bay Area instructors 10 years ago, she has gone on to win ...
A Salinas domestic violence recovery agency teeters on the brink of collapse.
Today could spell the end of operations for Domestic Violence Service Center (DVSC) of Salinas. DVSC, an advocacy organization that provides temporary housing and legal counsel to women and their children escaping domestic violence, is ...
Art Listings for Jul 30, 2009
Art Listings for Jul 30, 2009
OPENING THIS WEEK cafe 316 Show of Hands: Prolific photographer Michelle Magdalena puts up her latest exhibit, Show of Hands, a literal and symbolic meditation on hands, at the newly opened Cafe 316. Songs by ...
Jig Comes Up
The 42nd annual Scottish Games features powerful Celtic sounds.
If the cheering seems a little louder, the music rings more clearly, and the athletes throw further this weekend at the 42nd Annual Monterey Scottish Games and Celtic Festival, it may be a case of ...
Who’s Running Pacific Grove?
Leadership vacuum by mayor, interim city manager, amidst an ongoing budget crisis.
I t’s been a rough couple of weeks for Pacific Grove officials. In the latest round of financial Jenga, they’ve poked even more holes in the city’s wobbly budget and are bracing for a crash ...
Funny People
Tears of a Clown: Judd Apatow returns to his base of painful, wise laughs in Funny People.
Oh, people are gonna hate this movie. Look, the jokes are not jokes in Funny People. The humorous-sounding bits of dialogue are not intended to make you laugh so much as they are intended to ...
Pretty City
Volunteers help plant Monterey’s first community garden.
As Monterey County communities gain momentum in their sustainability initiatives, one thing is clear – these initiatives require citizen action. Enter a group of volunteers partnering with the city of Monterey to plant a community ...
Letters to the Editor for Jul 30, 2009
REMEMBERING CRONKITE In the 1960s, I worked for CBS in New York at WCBS-TV, their flagship station on 52nd Street and Madison Avenue in the Look building. We were across the street from the CBS ...
Thunder Road
Dead Meadow, Sleepy Sun heat up the stage at Henry Miller Library.
Back in March of 2007, Dead Meadow rolled into Fernwood Bar like a thundercloud. Encased in clouds of fog spouted from an active smoke machine, the band veered from spaced out jams to thundering riffage ...
The Collector
Horror Show: The Collector’s “torture porn’’ provides gore, not genuine surprises.
Co-written by Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton with an eye toward the crimson-drenched ultra violence of the Saw films, The Collector gets off to what appears at first to be a whole new tack on ...
State’s cease-and-desist order turns up the heat on Cal Am.
The state water board’s advisory team released a draft cease-and-desist order July 27, alleging California American Water has failed to comply with a 14-year-old order to stop illegally overdrafting the Carmel River. The water board’s ...
The Public Voice
Public Citizen
ONGOING HEALTHY LIVING FORUM | SALINAS – Register now for the Aug. 15 “Healthy Living Faith-Based Forum” and learn about how faith communities can be part of the solution in creating healthier communities. Speakers include ...
Open Houses
Carmel $569,000: 2br/2ba. 4000 Rio Rd #44. Open Sun 1-4pm. Coldwell Banker Del Monte Realty, Briscoe McLennan. 626- 2222 $660,000: 3br/2.5ba. 4000 Rio Rd #53. Open Sun 2-4pm. Coldwell Banker Del Monte Realty, Rich Briscoe. ...
If you could outlaw anything, what would it be?
Asked near Noodle Bar and Sarita’s in Seaside.
Follow-up: What would you legalize? O.G. BULL | Retired Veteran | Seaside A: Hatred and prejudice. They’re going on the same prejudice. I’d make love mandatory. Equal Opportunity: A universal stimulus package. Give everyone $1 ...
Quick hits on previously reported news
Updates
King City Bailout… State School Superintendent Jack O’Connell last week appointed Dr. John Bernard as the state administrator to run the cash-strapped King City Joint Union High School District. The state takeover was one of ...
¡Ask A Mexican! for Jul 30, 2009
One man's take on his culture's stereotypes
Special Houston Edition I’m curious about your take on English versus Spanish. I am an obviously Mexican-American woman, but sometimes I get angry at people that come up to me and assume I speak Spanish. ...
Large Scale Whale Tale
Local sculptor Randy Puckett applies an exacting eye to huge marine mammal work.
Prunedale’s Randy Puckett is a stickler for detail – it’s the only way he knows to make his massive sculptures look like live cetaceans in their natural ocean environment. He undertakes some surprising tasks to ...
Real Estate
By The Numbers
$300,000 Recent Sale 17611 Moro Road, Salinas Built: 1985 Size: 1,831 square feet Features: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2-car garage on 1 acre Amenities: Wood-burning fireplaces, trash compactor, expansive property, RV parking Seller: Hsi Asset ...
Town Criers
The battle over Carmel Valley incorporation continues.
Lawrence Samuels is running for a seat on the Carmel Valley Town Council. But he doesn’t want the job, and he doesn’t believe Carmel Valley should be a town. On Nov. 3, residents will vote ...
Squid Fry for Jul 30, 2009
Squid Fry for Jul 30, 2009
CARMEL CONFUSION… Squid just can’t understand what’s going on in the formerly sleepy Carmel-by-the-Sea. This week, Dr. Carl Bergstrom was convicted of forcibly sodomizing a woman at his home, after she was found hiding in ...
Road Warriors
A Central Coast hip-hop group’s wild ride into Mexican music.
There were no top shelf margaritas sipped on Cancún’s white sand beaches or any snorkeling with rainbow-colored parrot fish in Cozumel. There was no air-conditioned tour bus or hotel overlooking the clear waters of Banderas ...
Brezsny's Astrology
Free Will Astrology
Aries (March 21-April 19): Are you a gelatinous pool of longing yet? Are you a perfumed garden of madly blooming purple explosions? Are you throbbing and gooey and half-nauseous with that delicious sickness some people ...
Warehouse Wonder
A huge hidden resource for chefs and wannabes, Sand City sweetness and crackin’ oysters.
To arrive properly armed for Mustard and Margaritas party – an annual affair my longtime crony brings to life every July – I knew what to do: Head for my 15,000-square-foot secret weapon. Tucked into ...
Economics 101
CSUMB hikes tuition and turns away students in fallout from state budget mess.
Asharp increase in tuition will put a big dent in CSU Monterey Bay student Van Nguyen’s checking account. Nguyen says she’ll have to work extra hours to help pay for a 30 percent increase in ...
Bistro Christine
Embracing the Bistro: French flavors and warm welcomes in downtown Monterey.
After a visit to Bistro Christine, it’s obvious that owner Christine Richard has a hand in everything. As reservationist, host, server and busser, her charming personality shines despite the long hours and hard work required ...
Rock Divine
SWC 2009 gathers the masses for another weekend of top Christian music.
Last year, Spirit West Coast hit Monterey County with arguably the most ambitiously full three days of Christian music the festival had seen in a decade. This year, a family of decorated Christian rock royalty ...
Cal budget crisis stems from simple arithmetic.
One of the things reporters tend not to do is tell their readers the important facts about government budgets. Maybe it’s because they think readers’ eyes will glaze over when they read about billions of ...
Wednesday, July 29
Post Date
A Big Sur stalwart remembers Billy Post, one of the community's pillars
Big Sur lost a legend Sunday when Bill Post died a month short of his 90th birthday, but the community had him plenty long enough to cultivate an abiding admiration and affection for one of ...
Staff slap Del Rey Oaks mayor with lengthy vote of no confidence
Del Rey Oaks city staff and volunteers submitted a harsh vote of no confidence to Mayor Joseph Russell at last night's City Council meeting, accusing him of manipulating city business, harassing and intimidating workers and ...
Tuesday, July 28
Rep. Farr's sea otter bill passes in the House.
Monterey Bay's otters could get a lot more attention, if a bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday becomes law. The House passed the Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act, which authorizes ...
Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoes more funds for parks, families and the environment.
"This budget is kind of like the good, the bad and the ugly," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said at a press conference this morning after signing a state budget that cut more than $16 billion in ...
Salinas wins stimulus funding for nine officers
Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder this morning announced $1 billion in federal grants to hire cops, including $3.8 million for Salinas to hire nine officers. The grants, funded by the $787 ...
Slaying marks Salinas' 15th homicide
Update: The Salinas man shot and killed last night on the 500 block of San Benito Street has been identified as Roy Simon Ramirez III, 28. The killing is the city's 15th homicide of the ...
Monday, July 27
Big Sur founding father died Saturday night.
Dear Friends, Bill Post passed away last night. Born in Big Sur to a homesteader family, Bill’s passing marks the end of an era for the Big Sur Coast. Native American, a wise and kind ...
Making MOVES
A peek at the super-simulation technology NPS develops.
Last week one of the Naval Postgraduate School's most fascinating sub-schools, the Modeling, Virtual Environments, and Simulation Institute (or MOVES), hosted an annual conference that offered a look at the futuristic technology with which it ...
Court rejects allegation of racial profiling by Seaside police.
As President Obama takes flak for suggesting Cambridge police may have racially profiled Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a local man loses a lawsuit in which he alleged racial profiling by Seaside police. Last ...
Deputies bust alleged Pajaro brothel
Monterey County Sheriff's deputies Saturday arrested 48-year-old Pajaro resident Pilar Fregoso for allegedly "pimping, pandering and keeping a house of ill fame" disguised as a massage parlor. Fregoso allegedly ran a brothel out of a ...
Friday, July 24
Assembly strikes offshore oil drilling from budget deal.
At the end of a redeye session beginning Thursday night, the California Assembly finally approved a budget package that closes most of the state's $26 billion deficit. According to a breaking Associated Press report, Assemblymembers ...
DA files charges against former Salinas cop
The Monterey County District Attorney's Office announced today the filing of criminal charges against a former Salinas police officer for opening fire on an unarmed couple in February. Christopher Swanson pulled over Adriana Velasquez and ...
Thursday, July 23
Letters to the Editor for Jul 23, 2009
SPILL DISPUTE Clarification is needed regarding the article “Glossed Over-Emergency Responders Back off Monterey Harbor Oil Spill” (July 9-15). While the article seemed to imply that the first responders on scene weren’t doing their job ...
Bouchée Restaurant
Andre’s Bouchée reincarnation builds upon something beautiful in Carmel.
It strikes me as odd that in Paris a bistro has always implied a modest restaurant with simple food and moderate prices. In America, where modest food and prices have been taken to such a ...
A Penny for Peace
Salinas asks voters to support a sales-tax increase to fund cops.
First Salinas needed money for libraries. Now the city is asking residents to fund more police. The City Council Tuesday, July 21 approved putting a one-cent, public safety/essential services tax measure on the Nov. 3 ...
Squid Fry for Jul 23, 2009
Squid Fry for Jul 23, 2009
Chinese Exclusion… Squid finds it kinda cute, the way William Hung was kinda cute, how exhibits about Pacific Grove’s burned-out Chinese village and the Feast of Lanterns are neatly segregated on opposite sides of the ...
Pay to Play
California’s got a $26 billion budget deal.
California finally has a budget deal. After weeks of heated negotiations – and with the state’s credit rating nearing junk status and its coffers relying on IOUs instead of cash – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and ...
Cool Cats
Doubling down at the Monterey Bay Cougar Mixer.
Last year we sent this tandem of writers to the Monterey Bay Singles Convention. One was committed to find love, the other the courage to engage in conversation. Ultimately both found a rich experience to ...
Opinion: One man’s take on his culture’s stereotypes
¡Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: The mainstream media is making big noise of Sonia Sotomayor likely being the first Latina Supreme Court justice, and that all Latinos should be proud. But Puerto Rican ain’t Mexican! The Court won’t ...
Brezsny's Astrology
Free Will Astrology
Aries (March 21-April 19): Storm chasers are people who love traveling around the continent in pursuit of wild weather. Nothing feeds their lust for life more than getting up close and personal with a tornado ...
Open Houses
Carmel $639,000: 3br/2ba. 3520 Rio Road x Highway 1. Open Sat 12-2pm. Keller Williams, Linda Olivier. 521-0995 $685,000: 2br/1ba. 25325 Hatton Rd x Ocean Ave. Open Sat 1-4pm. Coldwell Banker Del Monte Realty, Connie Wolzinger. ...
Bona Fide Flow
Bone Thugs cop two local shows.
The Cleveland-based rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony is known for speedy, spitfire lyricism spouted over melodic R&B beats. But it’s persistence that earned Bizzy Bone, Flesh-n-Bone, Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone and Wish Bone a record contract ...
Valley Visionaries
Marinus strengthens its status as a sublime experience – and other foodie news.
An early indication of what we were up against arrived alongside pristine pieces of big-eye tuna: Three carefully crafted, supremely fresh and wholly diverse sauces, painted on the plate with artistic precision. The sashimi soared ...
High Lights
The Feast of Lanterns floods Pacific Grove with tradition, pageantry and leisure.
For 104 years, the Feast of Lanterns has consisted of two shows: the one that everybody sees and the one that goes on behind the scenes. Here, a look at both – from a former ...
(500) Days of Summer
The One That Got Away: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt shine in (500) Days of Summer.
Movies, as a rule, are not particularly introspective about the building blocks of romantic relationships. And if that’s true of movies as a rule, when it comes to romantic comedies, that rule has pretty much ...
Get Involved
Public Citizen
GREASY WHEELS… Forty years after the disastrous Santa Barbara oil spill, state lawmakers are once again allowing drilling in California waters. Monday night’s deal to backfill the state’s $26.3 billion budget gap included a tentative ...
Dry Heaves
Water workers destroy a patch of Seaside’s community dry garden.
This week, California American Water contractors damaged part of a Seaside garden Cal Am once recognized volunteers for building. Cal Am contractors Monterey Peninsula Engineering ripped native plants out of a roughly 24-by-11-foot rectangle in ...
Art Listing for Jul 23, 2009
Art Listing for Jul 23, 2009
OPENING THIS WEEK fine art + base Sand City’s fine art base announces a call for submissions to the Found Object Art Contest. All submissions will be exhibited at Sand City’s West End Celebration and ...
What is one thing that people should pay attention to, but don’t?
Asked at Troia’s Market in Monterey.
Follow-up: What is something about you that doesn’t get enough attention? SOLOMON ATHERTON | Business Owner | Monterey A: Teachers don’t get the pay and appreciation they deserve. Third Eye: Being intuitive, or being able ...
The Ugly Truth
Sally Forced: The Ugly Truth is that an uptight heroine doesn’t make a romantic comedy.
Twenty years ago American moviegoers were introduced to Sally Albright in When Harry Met Sally. As played by Meg Ryan, she was a sunny but tightly-wound city girl who found a perfect foil in loosey-goosey ...
Solar/renewable energy age will dawn – if we act now.
Thirty years ago I worked for Solar Access of Santa Cruz, a business that designed and installed residential solar systems. With the dauntless vision of youth, I anticipated most buildings in the Golden State powered ...
Cleaning Up
Ten days without eating dislodges 10 different lessons.
1. SOME OF MY TIGHTEST ALLIES THINK I’M GOOFY IN THE HEAD. When I tell them what I’m doing, many of the people closest to me look like they just bit into a dirty diaper. ...
Cops and Cuts
P.G. struggles to cut police costs without compromising safety.
During his 14-year break from law enforcement, Pacific Grove Police Chief Darius Engles forged a career in P.G. real estate. Though he’s been divested from the business in his 10 years with the PGPD, his ...
Pounding Pavement
Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks steer their tour to Big Sur.
Pavement is the quintessential indie rock band. From their exceptional debut album, 1992’s Slanted & Enchanted, to their breakup in 1999, Pavement made rock music with their own distinct thumbprint on it. Guitarist and vocalist ...
Real Estate
By The Numbers
$1,100,000 Recent Sale 175 Chaparral Road, Carmel Valley Built: 2005 Size: 4,000 square feet Features: 5 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 3-car garage on 5 acres Amenities: Stone fireplaces, valley and canyon views, RV and boat parking, ...
Wednesday, July 22
Parcel tax measure heads for P.G. ballot.
The Pacific Grove City Council has approved placing a parcel tax on the city's November ballot, couching the tax as an effort to bail out the sinking public library. The Council rejected three other tax ...
Tuesday, July 21
State budget includes offshore oil drilling.
Forty years after the disastrous Santa Barbara oil spill, state lawmakers are once again allowing drilling in California waters. Monday night's deal to backfill the state's $26.3 billion budget gap included a tentative agreement to ...
Carmel-by-the-Sea denies all allegations of Rich Guillen's misconduct.
In a legal response filed July 17, attorneys for the city of Carmel-by-the-Sea denied all allegations by Human Resources Manager Jane Miller regarding the conduct of City Administrator Rich Guillen and other city officials. Attorney ...
Monterey Municipal Beach posts high bacteria advisory.
Bacteria levels at Monterey Municipal Beach currently exceed state guidelines for safe recreational contact, according to the Monterey County Health Department. The water samples were taken July 20, and the advisory was posted this morning. ...
Sunday, July 19
California Rodeo Salinas - Sunday
Broncs, bulls, steers and a whole lot of cowboys on the final day of the California Rodeo Salinas.
The best riders in all the events came together for tough competition Sunday, all hoping to win a coveted California Rodeo Salinas belt buckle. Events from bareback and bull riding, to steer wrestling and calf ...
Saturday, July 18
Pioneering newsman and broadcaster Walter Cronkite dies at age 92.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/us/18cronkite.html?_r=1&hp
Friday, July 17
Dry Heaves
Water system work destroys part of Seaside's community dry garden.
This week, California American Water contractors destroyed part of a community dry garden Cal Am once recognized volunteers for building. Cal Am contractors Monterey Peninsula Engineering ripped native plants out of a roughly 24-by-11-foot rectangle ...
Unemployment rate in Monterey County drops.
What a difference a tenth of a percentage point makes. Monterey County's unemployment rate was 10.3 percent in June 2009, down from 10.4 percent a month earlier. This compares with an 11.6 unemployment rate for ...
Thursday, July 16
Full of Bull
The professional bull riding tour makes its annual stop in Salinas.
Rodeo cowboys are some of the toughest sportsmen around, especially the professional bull riders. They get tossed, kicked and trampled in hopes of bragging rights for top spot and prize money. On Wednesday, 45 of ...
Pretty Bird
MyCondor.org gets cozy with the endangered scavengers.
Sunrays lit up the lupine-and-poppy-splashed hillside, a wild woolen scarf of orange and purple on a March afternoon. Big Sur’s Separation Ridge slid into a slate-blue sea, which dissolved into a sky as clear blue ...
Star Struck
Bach Festival and Bruno Weil have been perfect partners.
Even a casual music lover can cite the ingredients for a good summer festival.
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince
Half-Blood Prince follows a Harry Potter who’s no innocent kid any more.
“You need a shave,” says Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) to Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) during a late scene in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – and damned if there isn’t a trace of stubble ...
On the Bay
Drinks with a view, sardine snacks and a school of other foodie insight.
The best under-the-radar, on-top-of-the-water cocktail spot in town belongs to Beach Resort Monterey at the end of Canyon Del Rey (394-3321). Visited the other day and found they’ve still got floor-to-ceiling glass giving way to ...
Novel Graphics
Asian-Americans redefine graphic novels at Salinas Library.
The story of comic book superheroes is the story of American immigration. Start with the first classic superhero: Superman. A literal “alien” who leaves his homeland, which is consumed by catastrophe, arrives in America and ...
Brezsny's Astrology
Free Will Astrology
Aries (March 21-April 19): I fear you’re on the verge of slipping into a state of mind that wants everything and is therefore in danger of getting nothing. I worry that you’ll be lusting for ...
¡Ask A Mexican! for Jul 16, 2009
One man's take on his culture's stereotypes
Dear Mexican: How can I get Mexicans to arrive to a meeting ON TIME? – Punctual Pete Dear Gabacho: Tell them you’re offering green cards on a first-come, first-serve basis. And then diles a gabachos ...
California politicians need to get real.
“When I am in California, I am not in the West. I am west of the West,” Teddy Roosevelt famously observed. The latest edition of the state budget meltdown – call it Dysfunctionality 2.0 – ...
Art Listings for Jul 16, 2009
Art Listings for Jul 16, 2009
OPENING THIS WEEK cafe lumiere Once Called Locusts: Accomplished local photographer, Michell Magdalena, previews her coming A Show of Hands work at the film-centric cafe. Locusts contains stark, arresting and sometimes provocative black and white ...
Pure Bull
The best five ways to enjoy California Rodeo Salinas.
The bad-ass bullfighter’s comment was surprising, and quickly dismissed. “You know,” he said, “That was good. You could give a career in bullfighting a shot.” “Um, thanks,” I said. “But… ” Ten minutes in the ...
Hail to the Chief
Iconic Big Sur Fire Brigade Chief Frank Pinney signs off after 35 years of service.
Between its crackling lightening storms and isolating mudslides, dramatic cliff accidents and unforgettable wildfires, few things are as predictable as Big Sur’s unpredictability. Frank Pinney is one of the few. After joining the Big Sur ...
Back in the Saddle
Creedence Clearwater Revisited rides into Salinas for the rodeo.
In one year, Creedence Clearwater Revival created more albums and hit singles than most acts do over the course of an entire career. During 1969, CCR bandleader and songwriter John Fogerty pushed his group to ...
Letters to the Editor for Jul 16, 2009
PUNISH POLLUTERS Citing toxic chemical runoff, a Forum story (“Otter Insanity,’’ July 9-15) points to an ocean full of contaminants that are harming otters, a sentinel species which is akin to canaries in a coal ...
Quick hits on previously reported news
News Updates
Bad Apple in Blue?… Salinas police officer Jesus Sánchez was arrested and booked in Monterey County Jail on three felony counts of assault with intent to commit rape, according to new Police Chief Louis Fetherolf, ...
Brokeback Budget
California is in the worst mess in its history – who will save the Golden State?
California’s economy looks like it’s driving off a cliff. But we’ve already crashed over the railing and are now free falling towards certain doom. The budget deficit has reached $26.3 billion, with negotiations on how ...
Strange Love
Grunion Greeters welcome the amazing fish ashore in Monterey.
“Charlie isn’t out tonight,” Katie Swanson notes, disappointed. Charlie, she explains, is a black heron whose appearance bodes well for their mission: meeting a swarm of grunion, the elusive shore-spawning fish that wash ashore to ...
Public Citizen for Jul 16, 2009
Public Citizen
7|16 THURSDAY CLIMATE CHANGE AND ECONOMICS | CARMEL – Carmel Area Democratic Women’s Luncheon Club hosts former EPA Deputy Associate Administrator Jason Burnett, who discusses “Climate Change and the Economic Recovery Act.” It’s too late ...
Sheriff Shootout
Deputy challenges two-time Monterey County sheriff in 2010 election.
When Fred Garcia came up for rotation last year as a Monterey County Sheriff’s Office commander, he says everyone knew where he was heading. “If you would have asked any commander, ‘Where do you think ...
Grill at Ryan Ranch
New Hat: Former Mélange chef-owner David Frappiea finds a new home at the Grill at Ryan Ranch.
When the economy wreaks havoc on the local restaurant scene, many mourn the loss of a favorite soup, halibut dish, or decadent dessert – but seldom the employees. Meanwhile, the hardworking folks who prepared those ...
Asked at the Winkie Convention at Asilomar in Pacific Grove.
Would you ask the Wizard for a new brain, a heart or courage?
Follow-up: What is the most valuable lesson taught by The Wizard of Oz? MIRIAM GOLDMAN | Member since 2009 | Houston A: A new brain; mine’s too obsessed with Oz. What Witch: Not to let ...
Carmel balks on bills from ambulance district, elections department.
It’s the richest city on the Peninsula, but in recent months Carmel-by-the-Sea has stonewalled two local agencies, hesitating to pay their outstanding bills. Carmel paid a $43,000 balance to the cash-strapped Carmel Valley Fire District ...
Squid Fry for Jul 16, 2009
Squid Fry for Jul 16, 2009
CARMEL PORN… Squid has a soft spot for Pacific Grove – always being compared unfavorably to its froofy southern neighbor. P.G. has less money, fewer tourists, and shabbier dogs than Carmel. But when Squid considers ...
Real Estate
Open Houses 7/17 - 7/19
Carmel $569,000: 2br/2ba/ 4000 Rio Rd #44 x Carmel Rancho Blvd. Open Sat 1- 3pm. Coldwell Banker Del Monte Real¬ty, Rich Briscoe. 626-2222 $660,000: 3br/2.5ba. 4000 Rio Rd #53. Open Sat 1-3pm. Coldwell Banker Del ...
Adoration
Family Matters: Atom Egoyan continues to make provocative, if elusive, explorations.
Atom Egoyan’s latest, Adoration, marks the great Canadian filmmaker’s return to the kind of intimate drama he strayed from with his last couple of efforts (the history-rectifying meditation on the Armenian genocide, Ararat, and the ...
Wednesday, July 15
Police investigate "suspicious" fire at P.G.'s Lattitudes.
The Pacific Grove Police Department is investigating an early-morning fire as "suspicious," after finding an incendiary device at the scene, Lattitudes Restaurant at 631 Oceanview Blvd. The July 15 fire was contained to the roof ...
NYC Mayor Bloomberg honors Carmel Valley's Rana Creek.
Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg honored Carmel Valley green roof gurus Rana Creek for their work on North America’s largest continuous green roof. Perched atop the underground Croton Water Filtration Plant ...
Tuesday, July 14
D.C. Hearts MBay
MBARI's Marcia McNutt nominated to lead the U.S. Geological Survey.
President Obama seems to enjoy fishing in Monterey Bay—he’s been reeling in some of our finest minds to serve in federal posts. First it was Leon Panetta’s appointment to lead the CIA. Then Naval Postgraduate ...
Monday, July 13
Officially Green
Marina signs eco-accords with gusto.
In early June, Marina joined the cities of Pacific Grove, Salinas, Monterey and Santa Cruz in adopting the United Nations Urban Environmental Accords and the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Today, Marina Mayor Bruce Delgado and ...
Saturday, July 11
Far From Kansas
Wizard of Oz fans gather at Asilomar.
Paul Bienvenue has a first edition of the second "Oz" book for sale. His copy of "The Marvelous Land of Oz" is in pretty good condition. Its bright red cover is faded and page ends ...
Friday, July 10
Downtown Heats Up
Firefighters respond to Alvarado Street blaze that claims Jugem.
Shattered glass dangles like teeth from the gaping yaw of what was Jugem Restaurant, which caught fire at 2:45am this morning. A Monterey firefighter monitors the 411 Alvarado St. storefront, occasionally dousing plumes of smoke ...
Thursday, July 9
Getting Warmer
NOAA announces destructive El Niño climate pattern is returning.
The boy is back. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Scientists just announced that the intermittent weather system known as El Niño, which warms central and eastern tropical Pacific waters and occurs on average every two to ...
Earthbound Farm, celebrating 25 years in business, to use 100% recycled plastic
Here's the story from USA Today. And here's our story this week:
Panetta Acknowledged CIA Misled Congress On Interrogation Policy
From the Huffington Post: CIA Director Leon Panetta told lawmakers in a recent briefing that the intelligence agency he heads misled Congress on "significant actions" for a "number of years," a group of Democrats revealed ...
The contaminant-disease connection needs to be explored more fully.
There’s been a lot of media attention about sea otters since a recent U.S. Geological Survey report that the population along the California coast has entered another decline, faster than any time since the late ...
Get Involved
Public Citizen
ONGOING STEELHEAD RESCUES | CARMEL RIVER—Help restore our local steelhead run. Carmel River Steelhead Association seeks volunteers to help rescue juvenile steelhead Wednesdays and weekends. Contact Frank Emerson, 277-0544. URBAN VILLAGE EIR | SEASIDE—The draft ...
Real Estate
By The Numbers
$935,000 Recent Sale 23504 Belmont Circle, Salinas Built: 2006 Size: 4,140 square feet Features: 5 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, 3-car garage on 4 acres Amenities: Wine cellar, workshop, home-theater room, stone fireplace, walk-in closets, two covered ...
Poco Loco
The still-going country rockers take to Monterey’s Golden State.
Rusty Young would like to take this time to clear up a few things about his music career and his long running country rock band Poco. First, he is not a brother, distant cousin or ...
Glossed Over
Emergency responders back off Monterey Harbor oil spill.
About 2 gallons of oil spilled into Monterey Harbor on the morning of June 27, spreading a greasy rainbow over 100 square yards of the water’s surface between Wharfs One and Two. But emergency responders ...
Letters to the Editor for Jul 09, 2009
Editor’s Note: Thanks to all the online readers at www.montereycountyweekly.com, whose responses far outnumbered the snailmail this week. We got a particularly strong response to the “Local Heroes’’ cover package (July 2-8) on people in ...
Now and Later
How to seize the glorious local bounty while you can – and stash some for less abundant seasons.
Anyone can eat local in summer. The farmers market is in full bloom, edible weeds are sprouting from even the most abandoned gardens, restaurants boast local ingredients, and neighbors are dumping wheelbarrows of extra zucchinis ...
What year of your life would you relive?
Asked at Kenny Curtis Tattoos in Marina.
Follow-up: Who’d you let read your diary? What movie genre would it be? KENNY CURTIS | Tattoo Artist | Seaside A: I don’t know. I’ve liked the way my life’s gone. I wouldn’t change anything ...
Creative Economics
CSUMB receives $180,000 to develop Institute for Innovation and Economic Development.
About a year ago, a Clovis couple invented an espresso protein drink in their kitchen. With the help of the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Fresno State, the energy drink, CLICK, is now ...
Day of the Dunes
Old lawsuit settlement money will help restore the Marina Dunes Preserve.
After sitting dormant for more than a dozen years, a trust fund established because of an old Sierra Club lawsuit will be used to restore Marina dunes habitat. The Marina City Council recently awarded $75,000 ...
Stone Soul
Kenny Edwards’ quiet musicianship comes to Carmel Valley.
What best becomes a legend? In Kenny Edwards’ case, it seems to be modesty. Over the course of his undeniably distinguished career, the guitar player, mandolinist, songwriter and producer was a co-founder of the Stone ...
Quick hits on previously reported news
Updates
Strawberry Fields, Never… Pesticide reformers are raising the alarm about methyl iodide, a fumigant being considered for use in California. The state’s Department of Pesticide Regulation – hardly an environmentalist agency – has found the ...
¡Ask A Mexican! for Jul 09, 2009
One man's take on his culture's stereotypes
Why do Mexicans make up stupid names? I’m not talking about indigenous names that sound different, but when you say them, they have a standard pronunciation. I’m concerned about names that are entirely made up, ...
Squid Fry for Jul 09, 2009
Squid Fry for Jul 09, 2009
TOKIN’ BUDGET SOLUTION… It was the role Squid was born to play – and it went to Nadene Herndon of Fair Oaks, Calif. Was it Squid’s legs? Squid hasn’t been hitting the gym too regularly ...
Art Listings for Jul 09, 2009
Art Listings for Jul 09, 2009
OPENING THIS WEEK alternative café Garter Belts and Gasoline II: This is the second annual art exhibit art that revolves around the subjects of sexy women, fast cars and ‘50s cool. Original works hail from ...
Open Houses
Carmel $569,000: 2br/2ba/ 4000 Rio Rd #44 x Carmel Rancho Blvd. Open Sat 1- 3pm. Coldwell Banker Del Monte Real¬ty, Rich Briscoe. 626-2222 $660,000: 3br/2.5ba. 4000 Rio Rd #53. Open Sat 1-3pm. Coldwell Banker Del ...
Moon
Angel Baby: Moon is an inventive exploration of inner and outer space.
Any cinematic space odyssey of the past 40 years surely owes a debt to Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey; Moon’s most obvious debt is the strategic use of a computer that has a cozy name ...
Brezsny's Astrology
Free Will Astrology
Aries (March 21-April 19): Miracle of miracles: A pointless pain in the butt will soon stop bugging you. Meanwhile, an annoying itch in your heart is subsiding, and may even disappear. As a result of ...
Bruno
Out-Rage: Sacha Baron Cohen spoofs stupidity and celebrity in hilarious new vehicle.
There are always a lot of angry questions bandied about in the wake of any work by Sacha Baron Cohen, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone ask this one: “How far should we ...
Recipe for Success
The new Big Sur Bakery Cookbook - A Year in the Life of a Restaurant - journals how to survive down south.
IT ALL BEGINS WITH THE BREAD. The morning shift slips through the predawn still and into the modest kitchen at 4am to start baking it. When diners come, the breads – asiago sourdough, nine-grain and ...
Just A Taste
Two signature recipes from Big Sur Bakery’s top culinarian talent.
Neither half of Big Sur Bakery’s power couple, Philip and Michelle Wojtowicz, hesitates long to recommend a recipe to publish from a book that took longer to gestate than their 5-month-old son, Henry. “Brown butter ...
Cal Am favors cooperative solutions to water dilemmas.
At California American Water, our mission is to provide the Monterey Peninsula with clean and healthful water in the most cost-effective and environmentally responsible method possible. Last week, a commentary published in this space (“Water ...
Wiggle Me This
Worming through news from gardens and farms plus a big change in Carmel Valley.
They are voracious eaters (half their body weight a day) and hungrier lovers (look it up). They inspire lyrics like “long, thin, slimy ones; short, fat, juicy ones” and dance moves that turn the party ...
Peace and Melody
Peace Resource Center broadens its services with free English classes.
Soft thuds and shouts from the martial arts class next door carry through the walls of the Peace Resource Center’s back room. But the eight students of English focus on their own rhythm, metered by ...
Other Reality
Aubry Fisher jumps from Rock of Love 2 over to L.A. Ink.
Her hair is long and supernova blond. She’s thin, wears knee-high spiked boots, jewelry that rattles and clinks when she moves, and a liberal amount of make-up. Her voicemail greeting instructs callers to text her. ...
Tight ‘n’ Bright
Blues at Eleven keep it real at Sly McFly’s.
Drummer Jamey DeMaria, bassist Joe Vallaire and keyboardist Tom Lawson have played music with one another on and off for more than 20 years. The three local musicians grinded out rock covers during the ’80s ...
Wednesday, July 8
Salinas cop booked for alleged rape attempts.
Salinas police officer Jesus Sánchez was arrested and booked in Monterey County Jail on three felony counts of assault with intent to commit rape, according to Police Chief Louis Fetherolf. Sánchez—who has been with the ...
Sardine Rush
Silver waves of sardines overtake Wharf Two.
Sardine season started July 1—and it looks like this is going to be an epic year. “Zillions and zillions of sardines,” is how Monterey Harbormaster Steve Scheiblauer put it. “It’s nice to see the wharf ...
Tuesday, July 7
Carmel River steelhead numbers are drastically down this year.
It’s been a rough year for threatened Carmel River steelhead. Only 116 adults were counted at the Los Padres and San Clemente dams in the 2008-09 migration season, compared to 570 returns last year. “The ...
Stunning Stanza
Seaside native scores unlikely collaboration with Wyclef Jean.
Thirty seconds was all it took to boost singer Alycia Nichole's singing career. The Seaside High 2001 grad won the opportunity to collaborate with Wyclef Jean after submitting a 30-second Twitter video audition as part ...
Monday, July 6
Networks, cable channels plan live coverage of the Tuesday memorial at the Staples Center.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/05/networks-to-show-live-jac_n_225826.html
Sunday, July 5
2009 U.S. Red Bull Moto GP - Sunday
Dani Pedrosa takes first place away from Rossi.
Nearly 47,000 fans watched on Sunday as Dani Pedrosa stole the limelight away from fan favorite and race superstar Valentino Rossi during the 2009 U.S. Red Bull Grand Prix. Rossi finished second at Mazda Raceway ...
Saturday, July 4
2009 U.S. Red Bull Moto GP - Day 3
Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo both suffer crashes during Saturday's qualifying race.
In the last laps of their qualifying run on Saturday afternoon, Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo took serious crashes within a minute of each other. Lorenzo was stretchered off the track. During a press conference ...
Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin resigns.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/us/politics/04palin.html?_r=1&hp
2009 U.S. Red Bull Moto GP - Day 2
The Doctor is in, the lead.
Some fans waited in the hot sun for nearly three hours, smashed up against a fence, for Moto GP superstar Valentino Rossi to sign a helmet, poster, jacket and loads of other memorabilia following Friday's ...
Friday, July 3
2009 U.S. Red Bull Moto GP
Full coverage of the 2009 Moto Grand Prix.
In his heavy, classic Italian accent Moto GP fan favorite and superstar Valentino Rossi said at a press conference Thursday he was looking forward to this weekend's race, especially the track's infamous corkscrew where Rossi ...
Thursday, July 2
Emergency responders leave Monterey Harbor oil spill alone.
About two gallons of oil spilled into Monterey Harbor on the morning of Saturday, June 27, spreading a greasy rainbow over about 100 square yards of the water's surface, according to an official report. But ...
Local Heros – Don’t Mourn, Organize
Jose Soto honors his son’s memory by fighting gang violence.
Before his tears were dry, Jose Soto fearlessly walked Salinas’ most dangerous neighborhoods, determined to not let the death of his son, Jose “June Bug” Soto III, go unnoticed. Wearing a white shirt with his ...
Peace Train
Sending off two local hospitality stalwarts after their recent deaths.
While the world buzzed noisily about the biggest celebrity death in decades, Monterey County’s food and wine scene quietly lost two beloved rock stars of its own. Weekly food contributors Jeanne Howard and Paul Wetterau ...
Brezsny's Astrology
Free Will Astrology
Aries (March 21-April 19): Time to diversify your energy sources, Aries. It’s as if you’ve grown too dependent on oil – metaphorically speaking – and have neglected to develop relationships with wind turbines, solar panels, ...
P.B. Jamming
Peanut Butter Wolf appearance at Hippodrome is a coup.
the year 1986 was a good one in hip-hop. It saw the releases of Run DMC’s Raising Hell, Salt-N-Pepa’s Hot, Cool & Vicious, and the Beastie Boys’ License to Ill. The Juice Crew were steady ...
Squid Fry for Jul 02, 2009
Squid Fry for Jul 02, 2009
CUTTING COSTS… As California continues its death march – toward issuing IOUs for the first time in 17 years, toward financial bankruptcy and falling off this proverbial cliff that lawmakers like to talk about – ...
Letters to the Editor for Jul 02, 2009
Lost In The Dunes A Marina Planning Commission member, on various occasions, has officially requested staff members to respond to these Dunes development agreement milestones ($100,000,000 giveaway to the developer, Marina community partners). No response ...
Office Space
Rich Guillen is still at Carmel City Hall – but laying low.
In the morning of June 26, Carmel-by-the-Sea’s headquarters are calm. Administrative Coordinator Becky Reisdorf takes calls by City Hall’s service window. Employees occasionally cross the hall from the planning department, silently dialing their security codes ...
Tax Me, Please
County explores the hottest trend in clean energy financing.
Sign up for higher property taxes. It’s good for your wallet, your county and the planet. That’s the message from supporters of a local “clean energy revolving fund,” a pot of money used to finance ...
Road to Nowhere
Cypress Knolls sues Marina for cost of extending California Avenue.
The senior housing developer Marina kicked to the curb is coming after the city for cash. Cypress Knolls LLC is suing Marina for more than $320,000, the amount the company fronted for a road construction ...
Rockin’ Docs
Current and past Big Sur folk festivals documented on film.
Two documentaries summoning the magic of Big Sur music festivals, spanning decades, were shown in Los Angeles last week. The premiere of Alex Klein’s Festival in the Forest – an hour-long account of the Folk ...
Local Heros – Top Shelf
One volunteer has spent 15 years shelving books and helping out at the P.G. Library.
At first glance, Dana Otken seems distant, as if lost in a constant daydream. Messy black hair falls oddly in place over ever-thinking eyes. Otken browses a picture book as he sits peacefully on the ...
The king is dead, long live the king.
F or many performers, top billing at the county fair is as good as the comeback trail ever gets. Michael Jackson had bigger ambitions. Two years ago, London’s Daily Mail reported that the singer was ...
Going Global
2009 Esalen International Arts Festival packs mad multicultural punch.
With subjects like drum, dance, singing, art, writing, poetry, filmmaking and general creativity and inspiration, the workshops – led by performers who unleash their talents Saturday – are the core of the 2009 Esalen International ...
Generous Style
Assembling an outfit that boosts your look and the community.
Any girl with a true love for fashion knows what it feels like to wear the right pair of scrunched soft leather boots – or a vibrant tweed jacket with velvet details and big gold ...
Are Cal Am’s proposals good for the county, or just Cal Am?
It is high noon for public opinion about a new water supply. The state Public Utilities Commission will hold local public hearings on July 13 and 14 in Monterey and Seaside on three competing options, ...
Get Involved
Public Citizen
7|2 THURSDAY City Econ | MARINA – Economic Development Commission meets. 6:30pm. Council Chambers, 211 Hillcrest Ave., Marina. Free. 884-1278. 7|4 SATURDAY TEA WITHOUT TAXES | MONTEREY – Monterey County Tea (Taxed Enough Already) Party ...
Fast Company
Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi lead the tightest MotoGP fields in two decades.
One of the greatest sporting events on earth returns to Laguna Seca this weekend. MotoGP. Anyone who wants to argue this point didn’t see the race last year. For the last three years, the race ...
Art Listings for Jul 02, 2009
Art Listings for Jul 02, 2009
OPENING THIS WEEK Arts Council for Monterey coutny Call for Submissions: The Arts Council for Monterey County seeks original works for a juried show. Forty winners will be selected among the submissions of photographs and ...
Basil
Sensational Seasonal: Basil Seasonal Dining does wonderful Italian-inspired fare in a tiny Carmel spot.
“Welcome back!” I was surprised to hear this greeting addressed to nearly every customer who arrived at Basil, a new “seasonal dining” restaurant in Carmel. It has only been open since April. My guest and ...
Local Heros - More in Store
John Wiseman saved businesses, helped old friends.
This year’s collection of Local Heroes are an unusually diverse group. They include a veteran Seaside peace activist, a Latina LGBT rights advocate and a businessman who, like a Frank Capra movie, decided to buy ...
Real Estate
By The Numbers
$220,000 Recent Sale 996 San Gabriel St., Soledad Built: 2004 Size: 2,109 square feet Features: 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2-car garage Amenities: Fireplace, landscaped yard, large kitchen, vaulted ceilings Seller: Deutsche Bank Buyer: J. Ayala ...
Local Heros – Shih Smiles Sweetly
Peace Resource Center leader combines wisdom, compassion and modesty.
Perched on a chair in Seaside’s Peace Resource Center, Sylvia Shih sweetly explains why she doesn’t like the word “hero.” “It is really overused,” she says in a clipped Mandarin accent. “If you call me ...
Public Enemies
The Ice Mann Cometh: Public Enemies showcases its director’s chilly, but undeniable, skills.
Michael Mann deserves major gratitude from me for one thing: Thanks to him, I finally understand what apparently frustrated so many people about Stanley Kubrick. Frankly, I’ve never grasped the cult of Mann over the ...
Local Heros – Farm Aid
Reluctant hero does double duty for ag workers and LGBT community.
Lisa Cisneros says she’s uncomfortable with the whole “hero” label. The bilingual Salinas attorney who got her start as a community organizer has a day job (or two): Offering legal assistance to farmworkers with California ...
Local Heros – Hamming It Up
NPS supercomputer saves lives, susses out trouble.
The hero they call hamming (with a lowercase h) never leaves the same plain room at the end of a long hallway, but he helps save sol diers from lethal accidents before they happen. He ...
Police Presence
Cops crack down on Castroville gangs, some community members say it’s excessive force.
Cops and medics surround Francisco “Frankie” Torres in front of the Castroville fire station. His face bleeds after Monterey County Sheriff deputies arrested him at his nearby home. The Sheriff’s Office says Torres is a ...
¡Ask A Mexican! for Jul 02, 2009
One man's take on his culture's stereotypes
Dear Mexican: Looking back recently on my distant youth in northwest Ohio, I came to the realization that the sweetest, most beautiful girl this gabacho ever went out with (indeed, in my entire senior class) ...
