In today's newscast:
Timber Fire evacuations
Fire activity has returned to Monterey County.
Overnight, the county sheriff's office issued evacuation orders for two zones in the Big Sur area. The Timber Fire is burning southeast of Posts and has reached about 800 acres, according to Watch Duty. Three other zones are currently under evacuation warnings—meaning people should prepare to leave. Details are here.
(An editor's note: since the above aired on KAZU this morning, a third zone has been ordered to evacuate, and Watch Duty reports an estimated fire area of 1,330 acres.)
Evacuation warnings near the smaller Bryson Fire—inland near the Monterey-San Luis Obispo county border—have been lifted.
And, Jack’s Peak County Park may reopen today or tomorrow. It was closed yesterday for clean-up after firefighters put out a Saturday blaze.
Back to Alisal schools
Class is back in session for Monterey County kids. Despite immigration concerns, headcounts are high in East Salinas.
About 6,800 students attend 12 elementary schools in the Alisal Union School District. Last week, kids filled classrooms for their first day back.
“ We're a safe haven for our families,” said district superintendent Monica Anzo. She says 95% of students are Latino or Hispanic. Most come from families that work in agriculture.
"Either they work in the fields, or they're working in the packing sheds," she said of the students' parents.
Despite threats of federal immigration raids, Anzo says enrollment remains high because of the trust the district has built with families. Each school has many resources for parents, and the staff is trained on how to handle potential immigration encounters on campus.
"I think that has helped with our families being in attendance," she said. "If they have any kind of fear, they know who to call."
With the summer harvest closing in, she says, “right now is the time that we have all our students. And we want to make sure that they're in class so they can learn.”
Anzo anticipates some families will leave towards the end of October, as seasonal field work moves out of the area.
