Local News

MONTEREY COUNTY — Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) Board of Directors recently adopted the Agency’s fiscal year 2025-26 Budget and Overall Work Program, which outlines a strategic investment of $9.7 million to deliver transportation improvements across Monterey County. The budget includes $4.5 million in...

GREENFIELD — A Greenfield police officer has been convicted of battery for attacking his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend while off-duty during a party in May 2022, announced Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni on Thursday. Christian Tapia-Leon, 31, an officer employed by the Greenfield Police Department,...

SALINAS — Monterey County District 1 Supervisor Luis Alejo, who represents most of the City of Salinas, was arrested last Friday on drunken driving charges. According to California Highway Patrol Officer Jessica Madueño, officers on patrol in Prunedale observed a 2011 Ford Escape on San...

PARKS REOPEN MONTEREY COUNTY — Monterey County Public Works, Facilities and Parks staff reopened nearly all county parks, including Manzanita Park, Royal Oaks Park, San Lorenzo Park and Toro Park, on Jan. 20 after removing immediate winter storm hazards and debris. Jacks Peak Park, however,...

SOLEDAD — A Monterey County judge sentenced Tyrone Owens, 41, an inmate at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad, to a total term of 25-years-to-life in prison for a sexual assault that occurred on prison grounds.  Owens was sentenced as a third “strike” offender pursuant...

BARBECUE PLANS PINE CANYON — King City and Pine Canyon residents who purchased tickets to the 2020 tri-tip barbecue fundraiser for the Pine Canyon Fire Department have not been left hanging. The department announced Feb. 2 that its upcoming barbecue fundraiser will take place March...

SALINAS VALLEY — Hartnell College has been named an Opportunity College and University (OCU) in the 2025 Carnegie Classifications, recognizing institutions that provide broad student access and measurable earnings outcomes following graduation. Hartnell is one of 60 community colleges in the United States—and one of...

GONZALES — Gonzales City Council awarded the design-build contract for the Dennis and Janice Caprara Community Center to the Otto Construction/WRNS Studio team on June 6.  The community center will be constructed on a city-owned parcel at Gabilan Court and Fifth Street, just east of...

SOLEDAD — Soledad Police Department has been awarded a $50,000 grant to increase patrols throughout the community and provide other traffic safety programs to help reduce the number of serious injuries and deaths on roads. “This grant funding allows us to support our ongoing traffic...

SOCCER COMPLEX CLOSURE GREENFIELD — The Greenfield soccer complex at Patriot Park will be temporarily closed for maintenance from Dec. 11 through Jan. 19. Maintenance includes reseeding, fertilizing and aerating, which will create even growth and repair of grass during this period. For more information,...