As communities in the five coastal counties from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz strengthen their joint energy program, the need for a unifying name is growing urgent. 

Joby Aviation, a Santa Cruz-headquartered startup developing electric air taxis, announced on Jan. 15 a $590 million investment round led by Toyota. 

After countless studies, debate and outcry among the agricultural industry and those working in and around the agriculture industry, California became the third state to ban the use chlorpyrifos in May 2019. The pesticide is used on a variety of crops including broccoli and cauliflower, and …

It’s an offer from the California Coastal Commission we can’t refuse—that was the reasoning behind a 5-2 vote by the Pacific Grove City Council on Wednesday, Jan. 15, to certify the document that gives the city primary coastal permitting authority for the first time in its history.

Options for air travel out of Monterey Regional Airport just got a little wider with the announcement that a non-stop daily flight to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Alaska Airlines will officially launch on June 18.

Springs Eternal…Squid rarely turns up the heater in the lair, partly because Squid's cephalopod body is designed to withstand very low water temperatures, and partly because it's Squid's little way of keeping the bills low, and thereby doubling for Squid as a form of minor protest against Pa…

A two-year contract extension for ambulance company American Medical Response is headed for consideration by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 14, two and a half weeks ahead of the current contract expiring on Jan. 31, said Teresa Rios, interim Emergency Medical Services burea…

The assassination of the Iranian commander has been reverberating so widely that the U.S. military has beefed up security measures as far away as Monterey. The two local military bases, which house the Defense Language Institute and the Naval Postgraduate School, are still accessible to the …

The flu coming on strong this year, already claiming the lives of at least three Monterey County residents and more than 50 people statewide. The third death was confirmed on Jan. 7. The unidentified patient died at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital in Salinas and is believed to be the first …

Monterey County Gives!, a collaborative fundraising project between the Monterey County Weekly, Community Foundation for Monterey County, and Monterey Peninsula Foundation, completed the year in fine style, raising about $5.4 million to be donated to 163 nonprofits throughout the community.

PAC Attack…After all of Squid’s Christmas shopping—the yarn to make those tentacle-warmers for Squid’s pal Flapjack the Octopus has to come from somewhere—Squid was counting what was left in Squid’s piggy bank. It would’ve been enough to make a donation to the Bernie Sanders for President ca…

Del Rey Oaks City Council found itself caught between a state deadline and the threat of a lawsuit when it considered adopting a revised housing plan on Dec. 17, its first one since 1992.

The Trump administration is playing a game of checkers in a world of chess when it comes to foreign policy, threatening the safety and security of the United States’ allies in the Middle East, as well as the U.S. itself, Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, said at a luncheon meeting of Mont…

The current Pacific Grove City Council seemed poised in the fall to accept future cannabis sales sooner rather than later, after a previous council strongly refused the idea in 2017. A consultant's presentation to the council on Dec. 19 was potentially the first step toward creating new ordi…

Back to the Future…Squid spent Christmas watching re-runs of Squid's favorite old-school Christmas movies—A Christmas Story and Home Alone just never get old, especially when paired with eggnog—and also re-reading some of the greatest hits of the year in the news. Remember this time last yea…

Maybe you've read the news about newsrooms in which reporters stare at screens to watch analytics come in throughout the day, with incentives for reporters whose stories get the most hits—and penalties for those whose stories get the least. (We've been led to believe this is largely responsi…

Holiday Cheer…Squid has a few holiday traditions that date back to when Squid was a Squidlet. They include one of Squid's rare endeavors in the kitchen, when Squid bakes shrimp-flavored Christmas cookies once a year; decorating the lair with strings of kelp and shells; taking Squid's beloved…

From the halls of local government agencies to courtrooms, and the rural pockets of Monterey County to crowded festivals, some images in particular stand out for capturing personalities and newsworthy moments. They range from feature stories to weather events, reflecting the diversity of wha…

When U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, was first running for Congress in 2016, he thought he'd be serving alongside Hillary Clinton in the White House. Along the campaign trail, he pledged to work with her to advance the Democratic Party's agenda.

A closely watched and consequential vote on a controversial Monterey Peninsula water issue concluded, uncharacteristically, with a unanimous decision. 

Snack Search…It may seem as if Squid is a busy sort, and keeping up on the endeavors and failings of local government does take time. However, Squid admits to lounging in the lair with tubs of shrimp flavored popcorn for lengthy spells.

By all appearances—room dark, chairs on top of tables, real estate “for lease” sign on the door—the Boardwalk Sub Shop in Monterey has shut down. The Salinas location was open on Friday morning, but the business is also for sale. 

One of first state laws that California passed in 2016 in response to the onslaught of tighter federal immigration policies was AB 2792. The Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds, aka TRUTH act, was meant to increase the transparency between the public and local enforcement. 

As impeachment proceedings loom large in Washington, D.C. dividing Democrats and Republicans, on one issue of major importance to Monterey County agriculture the two sides were able to agree: immigration reform for farmworkers.

Fire season may be over, but it will be back soon enough—and so will the preemptive blackouts. 

Murky Waters…Squid has always had a fondness for unwieldy books like dictionaries and encyclopedias, dating back to Squid’s pre-internet years as a Squidlet. For nostalgic purposes, Squid sometimes returns to the paper dictionary to verify spellings and definitions and, for obvious reasons, …

More than 800,000 Californians living in or near wildfire disaster areas are guaranteed to keep their home insurance for the next year, after state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a moratorium on non-renewals on Dec. 5. 

From tin can factory to outlet mall, the American Tin Cannery in Pacific Grove has been morphing from one identity to another for over a century as economics and the Monterey Bay have changed. The latest proposed transformation into a resort hotel is finally underway and open to public comme…

Over the last 40 years, Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas has delivered low-cost medical care to thousands of local agricultural workers and their families, as well as other low income residents and those with no health insurance. Its staff have also delivered more than 10,000 newborns s…

A different type of rubber met the road on Thanksgiving morning as more than 400 people turned out in frigid conditions to challenge WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on foot—and to donate to a cause.

The weather over Thanksgiving week dished up a heavy portion of rain throughout Monterey County and continued serving leftovers for another couple of days. A brief break is expected on Dec. 5, but don't put away the umbrellas. A cold front bringing more rain and wind is expected late Friday,…

Of Human Bondage…”Too wet to go out and too cold to play ball. So we sat in the house. We did nothing at all.” If ever a piece of literature resonated with Squid, it’s that one, from the Dr. Seuss epic The Cat in the Hat. Four days of a Thanksgiving holiday in which the office was closed, th…

Thanksgiving is a day of traditions. There’s turkey or ham (or turkey and ham, if you’re lucky), there’s a slate of NFL games on television, there are the usual arguments over which wine pairs with turkey because, you know, cranberry dressing is a wild card. And there’s all that leftover cra…

If you plan on traveling or spending time outdoors for the holiday weekend, you may want to bring galoshes and a parka. According to weather advisory officials, Monterey County is expected to get its first blow of winter storms this week, starting Tuesday night, Nov. 26, and continuing throu…

I’m On a Boat…Squid finally emerged from the lair on Saturday for some sun and warmth following a week of being glued to Squid’s computer, eating huge buckets of shrimp-flavored popcorn and live-streaming the impeachment hearings. Squid’s favorite witness, Squid has decided, was Ambassador G…

It began slowly, with a trickle of sick patients starting with one case on Sept. 24. By the end of October, 24 people ill. Then by Nov. 10, 40 people in 16 states had been sickened with E. coli, and 28 of them were hospitalized. Five developed kidney failure. (None have died.)

A decision by a Monterey County Superior Court judge has pushed back the construction schedule of California American Water's desalination project by about a year. 

Vroom, Vroom…No one knows this, but many years ago, Squid was driving down Highway 68 while daydreaming. The memories are a little fuzzy, but Squid must have taken an unexpected turn into Laguna Seca because the next thing Squid remembers is riding the ol’ jalopy on the track next to race ca…

After more than four years of study, public input and political wrangling, Pacific Grove is almost near the finish line it has worked hard for: a coastal development plan certified by the California Coastal Commission.