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Salinas
February 21, 2026

Finally, California is about to reopen

We’ve been waiting for this week for a long time. After more than a year of complex, evolving rules governing where Californians can go and what we can do, on Tuesday, nearly all of them will go away. California, the nation’s most populous state, will be...

VIDA Project and partners host pop-up clinic in Soledad

SOLEDAD — The VIDA Project, Soledad McDonald’s, Monterey County Health Department and the City of Soledad have come together to co-host a free Pop-Up Clinic. The clinic will take place Sunday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Soledad McDonald’s, 1215 Front...

More than half of Monterey County residents vaccinated

MONTEREY COUNTY — Reopening blueprint metrics have Monterey County in the Orange Tier, but the vaccination rates continue to climb. County Health Officer Dr. Edward Moreno said on April 14 that 48% of the county’s populace age 16 and older have received at least one...

Fauci warns U.S. could be headed for another virus spike

UNITED STATES — States have continued steadily lifting restrictions, despite warnings from top federal health officials like Dr. Anthony Fauci that new coronavirus cases in the United States have plateaued at a very high level after their drastic drop has stalled and that the...

Monterey County could move to yellow tier as soon as next week, top health official says

Covid-19, novel coronavirus 2019
MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County could move into the yellow tier of the state's pandemic reopening system as soon as next week, the county's top health official said Tuesday. Monterey County's rate of new cases per day per 100,000 residents, adjusted for the county's testing...

California has passed the 50,000-death mark, the most of any state

CALIFORNIA — California surpassed 50,000 known coronavirus deaths Wednesday, the first state to reach that chilling milestone. The news comes as a bleak reminder that the recent progress the state has made against the pandemic may be fragile. Most of those deaths were recorded recently,...

Monterey County’s senior meals program to end Friday

MONTEREY COUNTY — Great Plates Delivered, a Monterey County program meant to help vulnerable seniors and boost local business, will end on Friday, July 9. As part of the yearlong program, area restaurants signed up to provide food for seniors who wished to maintain social...

Biden signs extension of Paycheck Protection Program

President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed a two-month extension of the Paycheck Protection Program, which offers loans for small businesses struggling with the economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic. Biden signed the extension in the Oval Office alongside Vice President Kamala Harris and Isabella Casillas...

Monterey County schools plan for return to in-person learning

MONTEREY COUNTY — Elementary schools in Monterey County may begin planning to reopen after the Feb. 16 announcement that the county’s adjusted case rate has fallen to 24 infected per 100,000 residents. The school grades affected would be pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. Schools wishing to...

Covid-19, wildfires present challenges for Salinas Valley winery

SALINAS VALLEY — Standing in his vineyard as a brisk wind runs amuck with his curly, sandy-blonde hair, Denis Hoey reveals why the Salinas Valley region — known for its vast agriculture — should also be noted for fine winemaking. ā€œWe make wines here that...

Local News

Police crime

Gonzales man arrested on suspicion of murder after 911 call

GONZALES — A 66-year-old Gonzales man was arrested on suspicion of murder Friday night after calling 911 to report that his wife was bleeding,...