Local News

The Timber Fire in Big Sur has exceeded 2,000 acres, with four zones now evacuated. And, Central Coast leaders continue to oppose offshore oil drilling.

As more people take to local roads and coastal trails on electric bicycles, transportation planners are trying to sort out a problem that can be difficult to see: not everything being called an e-bike is actually a legal e-bike.

A new mural honoring farmworker families adorns a wall in East Salinas and gives workers in nearby fields a chance to see themselves represented.

The county has issued evacuation orders for parts of the Big Sur area due to the Timber Fire. And, class is back in session for Monterey County kids. Despite immigration concerns, headcounts are high.

In this week's roundup of local news: local farms hit by lower lettuce demand, Salinas City Council extends a moratorium on new tobacco shops, Murray Street bridge work reaches midpoint, nurses protest layoffs, a local tribe regains stewardship of 84 acres, and more.

Produce growers in the region face reduced demand as people try to avoid cyclosporiasis, and Santa Cruz County releases its annual point-in-time count.

In Santa Cruz, the three-year Murray Street Bridge seismic retrofit has reached its mid-point. And, the Trump administration wants to streamline Head Start regulations for class sizes, teachers’ qualifications and more.

The Salinas City Council has voted unanimously to extend a moratorium on issuing new tobacco retailer licenses. And, 5,000 California nurses have signed a petition against layoffs.

Monterey County is installing No Parking signs near Big Sur's Bixby Bridge. And, the state's Farm to School program is now a permanent part of the state budget.

The Ohlone/Costanoan-Esselen Nation is celebrating the return of 84 acres of ancestral homeland in Monterey County. And, a fluffy penguin chick has debuted at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.