Local News

GONZALES — Three-sport athletes Ozzie Garcia and Ashley Ochoa were selected as the Gonzales High School Athletes of the Year.  The Male Athlete of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year are chosen for their performance on the playing fields, success in the classroom...

GONZALES — California’s state budget includes $15 million for essential public safety projects in five communities of the 12th Senate District, with $5 million of that set aside for the City of Gonzales’ teen innovation center, announced Sen. Anna Caballero. “Small, rural communities desperately need...

SALINAS VALLEY — Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) and Sen. Anna Caballero (D-Salinas) have honored Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas (CSVS) as the 2021 California Nonprofit of the Year for their districts. “I am proud to honor Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas...

SOLEDAD — A new roundabout at the intersection of East Street and Metz Road in Soledad was unveiled to the public with a ribbon cutting on July 6. Construction began on April 5, with traffic detoured to side streets for months to make way for...

In 2003, Ilkay Altintas, a computer scientist with the University of California, San Diego, had her first wildfire encounter. She had been in Santa Barbara for a workshop and couldn’t take the train home. “The track was gone,” she recalled this week. So she hitched a...

SALINAS — Gonzales native and motorcycle professional rider Frankie Garcia competed for three days last week at the Geico Motorcycle Superbike Speedfest at the Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas. Garcia, the 30-year-old son of Frank and Nancy Garcia, has been riding motorcycles from the...

SOLEDAD — Soledad City Council members discussed the possible need for district-based elections last month. No action was taken at the June 16 meeting, but the presentation from City Manager Brent Slama was followed by discussion as to when such a shift would be needed. Slama...

HOMELESS PLAN SALINAS — Coalition of Homeless Services Providers (CHSP) has released the draft “5 Year Plan to Reduce Homelessness” and is hosting a virtual community input session on Thursday, July 15, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. In early 2020, CHSP partnered with the...

MONTEREY COUNTY — California Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded his prior drought emergency proclamation to an additional nine counties on July 7, including Monterey County. Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Salinas), who oversees Monterey County in his district along with Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties, urged residents...

FRESH HIRING SALINAS — Fresh Express, the brand leader in value added salads, is hosting on-site job fairs across its five U.S. production facilities on Wednesday, July 14, from 1 to 4 p.m. The company is looking to hire more than 400 new team members...