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SOLEDAD — Police Chief Patrick Valenzuela has left the Soledad Police Department after leading the agency for just over a year, with two longtime department members stepping into acting leadership roles. The City of Soledad announced Friday that it and Valenzuela “mutually agreed to conclude...

GREENFIELD — Southern Monterey County Republican Women Federated honored three local high school graduates during its July meeting, presenting each recipient with a scholarship check. The recipients were Alejandra Villa-Hernandez of Greenfield and Kendyl Burpo and Thomas Storelli of King City. Villa-Hernandez is a graduate of...

GONZALES — Anytime Fitness opened its doors in Gonzales with a ribbon-cutting celebration on July 21. The new gym is located at 851 Fifth St., the former site of the Gonzales Branch Library that is now at the Dennis and Janice Caprara Community Center Complex. Among...

SALINAS VALLEY — Community leaders gathered last week at Soledad’s Orchard Lane Park to celebrate the installation of new Inclusive Communication Boards in parks throughout South Monterey County, a regional effort aimed at making public spaces more accessible for residents with communication differences. The ribbon-cutting...

GONZALES — Gonzales Unified School District has appointed Keith Thorbahn as its next superintendent, effective July 21. Thorbahn previously served as principal of Gonzales High School, where the district said he developed a focus on academic achievement, student engagement and collaboration among staff, students and...

GONZALES — Gonzales High School baseball team held an awards banquet on July 23 at the Gonzales American Legion Post 81. The awards night began with the players being presented by varsity head coach Justin Maturino and the junior varsity staff. Maturino and assistant coaches Raul...

MONTEREY COUNTY — The 2026 winegrape harvest is underway in the Santa Lucia Highlands and across Monterey County, with some growers reporting one of the earliest starts in recent history. Caraccioli Cellars crews picked the first grapes of the season at Escolle Vineyard in the...

SOLEDAD — Oregon State pitcher Eric Segura from Soledad took the next step in his baseball career last week when he was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the fourth round of the Major League Baseball draft. Segura, the 21-year-old son of Efren and...

GONZALES — The fourth annual Gonzales Car Show was held downtown last Saturday on Fourth Street with more than 100 cars and other vehicles participating, many of which arrived early to park at the choice viewing spots. Raul Hernandez, a former Gonzales resident, enjoys coming...

MONTEREY COUNTY — More than 2,500 Monterey County children have enrolled in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library since the free book program launched locally on June 18, according to an update presented during this week's Monterey County News Briefing. Rebeca Zuniga of First 5 Monterey County...