In today's newscast:
NPS graduation and astronaut visit
Monterey’s Naval Postgraduate School will honor its newest 405 graduates today.
Among its alumni are 44 astronauts.
Navy Capt. Victor Glover piloted the Artemis II mission and spoke to a packed auditorium on campus this week.
He remembered telling a professor that he feared using a real scenario in his systems engineering homework was cheating. But the professor told him the school's goal was to help students grow as warfighters,
he recalled, noting that he was a test pilot helping warfighters.
The professor then said the faculty were happy to see the academic teachings put to use in a way "that’s actually making a difference."
NPS has seven alumni in NASA’s active astronaut corps, including Capt. Reid Wiseman, who commanded the Artemis II mission.
Local Food Purchase Assistance program gets state funding
A defunded federal program that connects local food banks and small-scale farms will survive.
Our newsroom partner CapRadio is reporting the Local Food Purchase Assistance program is slated to get a year of funding in the state budget.
Jamie Fanous with the Community Alliance with Family Farmers says the state funding provides a temporary solution.
"This gives us a year-long bridge," she said. "We’ll still have to probably go back next year and ask for another 15 (million dollars) until we see Farm Bill money that really keeps this going."
Fanous is referring to the federal Farm Bill, which shapes U.S. food and agriculture policy. She says the program has helped small farmers build lasting partnerships with local food banks.
Jared Call with the California Association of Food Banks says LFPA has expanded access to fresh, local produce while keeping dollars in local communities.
"It was a program that was really just getting started and gaining momentum," he said, "and so losing that momentum is another risk that the state is taking if they choose not to fund it."
The budget now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office. He has until the end of the month to sign it.
