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A collection of KAZU News stories on the Timber and Plaskett Fires that burned in the Big Sur region of Monterey County in 2026

Monterey Bay This Week: Timber Fire, offshore drilling concerns, super El Niño effects, e-bikes, and more

Two large e-bikes are parked against a fence with helmets hanging from them. One has a long seat for two kids and the other has a seat with a harness for one child.
Amy Mayer
/
KAZU
Larger e-bikes can sometimes hold more than one child, making them an option for school drop off and pick up for some families. These bikes were parked along the west side of the Santa Cruz Harbor.
Erin is an award-winning journalist and photographer. She's written for local and national outlets, including the Smithsonian and Science Magazine. She has a master's degree in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Amy Mayer is an award-winning journalist with more than 25 years of experience in public radio. Before KAZU, she worked as an editor for the California Newsroom and at St. Louis Public Radio. For eight years, she covered agriculture as the Harvest Public Media reporter based at Iowa Public Radio. She's also worked at stations in Massachusetts and Alaska and has written for many newspapers, magazines and online news outlets.
Jillian Smith graduated from California State University Monterey Bay with a degree in Humanities and Communication, focusing on Journalism and New Media. Her love for storytelling took root in school creative writing clubs, where she first discovered how powerful words can be in bringing people together.
Katie Brown comes to KAZU after earning spot news and investigative journalism awards for her reporting and photography in Maine. A Report for America alumna and former Metcalf Institute fellow, Katie’s reporting beats span business, environment, and public health.