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Staff

Thursday, August 19, 2010

And They’re Off… Three Seaside City Council incumbents are facing three challengers in the November election. Mayor Ralph Rubio is up against local businessman Felix Bachofner; councilmen Tom Mancini and Dennis Alexander will face longtime local politico Alvin Edwards and Democrat organizer Annalisa Mitchell. [KA]

Clean Cars…The long-delayed official launch of Green Vehicles, which is set to make electric cars in Salinas’ Firestone plant, is set for September. It is made possible by a $2 million grant from the state and a $700,000 assist from the city of Salinas. [RU]

Meth-In-Sock Method Fails…Take-home lessons from the latest Seaside police log: Crazy talk leads to a 5150, drunkenness trumps diabetes and Del Monte Manor is getting scary. [KA]

Improving Grades…Monterey County scores on the high-stakes standardized STAR tests, which measure student achievement in math, English and other subjects, appear to be up slightly from last year, reflecting a statewide trend. Individual school and district scores are at cde.ca.gov. [RU]

Great White Reunion…Monterey Bay Aquarium's resident shark researchers spotted one of their own former foster sharks, caught on camera by an extreme sportsman. SoCal paddle surfer Chuck Patterson posted the encounter on Vimeo, showing a juvenile great white with a telltale tag mark on its side. [KA]

Revved Up… It was a wild weekend for car fanatics. Bugatti made a world premier of its Veyron 16.4 Super Sport, car collectors swooped at auctions and owners of ridiculous rides gathered at Toro Park for the second-annual Concours d'LeMons. Check the photos and more at www.mcweekly.com/photoblog. [NC]

Dream Act… Twenty-nine college students made a King City stop Aug. 16 on a 540-mile cycling journey aimed at winning public support for the DREAM Act, federal legislation that would allow undocumented students to earn legal status by serving in the military or graduating from college. [RU]

Sur Fire…Local promoter Britt Govea confirms Arcade Fire will play in Big Sur Oct. 5. The Montreal mega-group's The Suburbs is currently #1 on the U.S. Billboard Charts. Tickets go on sale Aug. 18 at noon: www.folkyeah.com. The hottest local music scoop’s at http://alwayslivemonterey.blogspot.com. [AJ]