Local News

KING CITY — Salinas Valley Fair Heritage Foundation has announced Valeria Beltran, a junior at Gonzales High School, as the recipient of the 2025 Heritage Foundation Scholarship. As this year’s winner, Beltran will raise the official Heritage Animal, a hog she has named “Zero,” and...

MONTEREY COUNTY — In a significant move to combat the opioid crisis and prioritize public health, the County of Monterey Health Department has unveiled a pioneering initiative providing free, around-the-clock access to naloxone and fentanyl test strips through strategically placed public vending machines across...

SOLEDAD — U-Haul Co. of California has announced that Bingo Market signed on as a U-Haul neighborhood dealer to serve the Soledad community. Bingo Market at 945 Monterey St. will offer essential services like U-Haul trucks, trailers, towing equipment, moving supplies and Spanish-speaking employees. Normal business hours...

GREENFIELD — Nathaniel Ray Diaz, 21, of Greenfield, was arraigned April 21 after a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment that charged him with sexual exploitation of a minor, attempted receipt of a visual depiction of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct,...

SALINAS VALLEY — Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVBGSA) has announced the launch of its Water Efficiency Pilot Program to help rural residents improve water efficiency and contribute to sustainable groundwater management. The Salinas Valley, like much of California, relies on groundwater for residential,...

JOLON — In honor of the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday and its official theme, “This We’ll Defend,” Fort Hunter Liggett (FHL) is leading a 250-mile regional ruck march to celebrate two-and-a-half centuries of service, sacrifice and strength. The march begins Wednesday, May 7, and continues...

BACKYARD BURNING CENTRAL COAST — The last day of the backyard burn season was April 30 for Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties. From May 1 to Nov. 30, backyard burning of residential yard trimmings is prohibited. Fires to dispose of dry vegetation cleared...

Noelia Martinez of Greenfield was named to the Dean’s List at Biola University in La Mirada, Calif., for academic excellence. Martinez, a cinema and media arts major, was one of about 1,700 students who were named to the Dean’s List in fall 2024. Biola...

SOLEDAD — Soledad Police Department has arrested 33-year-old Rutilio Caliahua Quiahua, a King City resident, on multiple charges related to sexual offenses involving minors under the age of 16. The arrest, announced April 29, follows an extensive investigation in which Soledad Police detectives identified at...

SOUTH MONTEREY COUNTY — An evening of emotional power and musical richness awaits South Monterey County residents as I Cantori di Carmel presents “Songs of Destiny,” a free community concert on Saturday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m. at the Robert Stanton Theater in King...