U.S. prisons start to resume allowing visits to inmates, with added virus precautions
State prison systems across the United States have begun allowing visitors for the first time since the pandemic started, presenting challenges for facilities that want to balance much-needed contact between inmates and their families with the need to limit the spread of COVID-19 in...
Vaccinated people can get Covid, but it’s most likely very rare
More than two months after he was fully vaccinated against COVID, a doctor in New York woke up with a headache and a dull, heavy feeling of fatigue. A fever and chills soon followed, and his senses of taste and smell began to fade.
This,...
Children in elementary schools don’t need to be 6 feet apart, CDC says
In a major policy revision intended to encourage more schools to welcome students back full time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that elementary school students and some middle and high school students could be spaced 3 feet apart in...
City parks in Monterey County reopen to community
MONTEREY COUNTY — City parks throughout Monterey County have begun to reopen due to the lessening of health restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Gonzales Recreation Department announced the reopening of its parks by March 12. The announcement followed a March 1 reopening of the...
Unemployment claims rise as pandemic hits 1-year mark
The surge in unemployment filings in March 2020 provided one of the first clear warnings of the havoc the pandemic was wreaking on the U.S. economy.
One year later, that klaxon is still blaring.
More than 746,000 people filed first-time applications for state unemployment benefits last...
Vaccination rates are lower in disadvantaged counties, CDC reports
Even though the pandemic has taken a disproportionate toll on people of color and on low-income communities, Americans in wealthier counties have been getting vaccinated against the coronavirus at higher rates than those who live in more distressed, impoverished counties, federal health researchers reported...
Monterey County moves into red Covid tier
MONTEREY COUNTY — Residents in Monterey County can now look forward to fewer restrictions as the region moves from the most severe risk, Purple Tier, and into the moderate risk, Red Tier, of California’s Covid-19 reopening plan.
The announcement was made Tuesday after the county...
What’s in the federal stimulus for Californians?
Last week, President Joe Biden signed into law a wide-reaching $1.9 trillion stimulus package aimed at throwing a lifeline to Americans struggling through the pandemic.
In California, the news has come as a particular relief.
Many businesses here have been closed or restricted for a year....
Uncounted in the unemployment rate, but they want to work
Robert Hesse was expecting an imminent promotion to manager of Sub Zero Ice Cream, a nitrogen ice cream shop in Ventura, California, when it shut down in March because of the pandemic.
“I like to work,” said Hesse, a college graduate who turns 26 on...
Salinas Valley schools coordinate with local clinics to vaccinate educators
SALINAS VALLEY — Schools throughout Monterey County began coordination with local hospitals, clinics and pharmacies to prepare for March 3, when educators and child care workers became eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
Among them was Gonzales Unified School District, which partnered with Walgreens for...
Local News
CDCR officials investigating Oct. 14 inmate death at Salinas Valley State...
SOLEDAD — California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officials are investigating the Oct. 14 death of an incarcerated person at Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP)...
