Recent Stories
Gilbert’s Kids
The story of Popular Salinas High counselor Gilbert Olivares was already a stunning one. Now, new investigative discoveries deepen the drama – and the disbelief.
This wasn’t normal. The boy usually guarded his iPod touch closely, never leaving it laying around, never letting his mother or sister look at it. But it was there, sitting out. Her brother had been ...
Scout’s Honor
Disputed paternity test for former Salinas PD youth adviser led to reduced charges.
When Jane Doe’s baby bump started showing, the hallway rumors about her secret relationship starting growing too. Scott Callan, a former adviser in the Salinas Police Department’s Explorer Program, admitted to having sex with the ...
Under Water
Former vice principal Raul Ramirez gets strong backing despite sex case conviction.
Jane Doe did everything she could to keep her relationship with former El Sausal Middle School and Alisal High School Vice Principal Raul Ramirez a secret. When the cops started asking questions, Ramirez told her ...
A City Divided
Three Greenfield City Council members face recalls in fallout from police merger.
Stroll down Greenfield’s El Camino Real, and you might mistake the main drag for a quiet Mexican downtown. It’s not just the Spanish-language signage, but cultural cues – men leaning against walls with lowered hats ...
Armchair Politics
Three Salinas electeds joust for supervisor seat, one from a living-room campaign HQ.
County Supervisor Fernando Armenta makes no bones about his dislike for Salinas City Councilman Sergio Sanchez. Before Sanchez entered the District 1 race against Armenta, he helped get the three-term incumbent elected. But reflecting last ...
Jumping the Gun
Salinas to test tech that points cops to crime scenes – before crimes are committed.
If police could predict the aftershocks of a shooting – where and when retaliatory bullets would fly – they could arrive on the scene in advance, in hopes of intercepting a crime instead of chalking ...
Encore Act
Enviros, conservatives back ’80s supervisor Marc Del Piero for a return to the board.
An unusual lineup backs water rights attorney and federal bankruptcy trustee Marc Del Piero for county supervisor, including LandWatch board members, the Green Party of Monterey County, Young Professional Republicans of the Central Coast and ...
A Capitol Idea
Five contenders for two Assembly seats prepare to face off in an open primary.
When Bob Fultz talks about government getting out of the way of the private sector, he sounds like a classic small-government backer. He’s hoping his campaign catchphrase – the D next to his name is ...
Jane Parker and Byrl Smith are leading fundraisers in the the supervisors races this spring.
Jane Parker and Byrl Smith are leading fundraisers in the the supervisors races (where three of five seats are up for election June 5) this spring, each already having spent in the six-figures by March ...
Kids on the Block
Neighborhood Watches spring up in Salinas, undeterred by a violent crime in Florida.
The Eagle-Bison neighborhood of East Salinas is a known destination for trick-or-treaters. It’s also within about a mile of three homicides that took place in the past month. On Halloween night 2007, after a few ...
