Local News

GREENFIELD — Travis Harris, a 40-year-old travel nurse from Scotts Valley, was found guilty by a jury on several charges related to child molestation, announced Monterey County District Attorney’s Office on April 15. The verdict was reached after a trial overseen by Judge Pamela...

SALINAS VALLEY — A historic signing ceremony at Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB) earlier this year marked the launch of the Panther Otter Pathway Program, a partnership between CSUMB and Hartnell College designed to simplify and streamline the journey to earning a bachelor’s degree. CSUMB...

HOUSING WORKSHOP SOLEDAD — Monterey Bay Economic Partnership Housing Initiative and the City of Soledad will be cohosting a Salinas Valley Housing Element Workshop on Thursday, May 19, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Soledad Community Center, 560 Walker Drive. Every eight years, California...

GONZALES — Gonzales City Council has appointed Carmen Gil to the position of city manager. Gil has been with the city as Director of Community Engagement and Strategic Partnerships since 2020 and served as interim city manager from June 2022 to January 2023.  In her 20-plus...

SAN JOSE, Calif. — On an unseasonably warm day in February, two men working with a local community group went door to door in an ethnically diverse neighborhood to persuade people to sign up for COVID-19 vaccinations. It was just after 11 a.m. when they...

CENTRAL COAST — A new report commissioned by Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) and developed by the Institute for Social Transformation at UC Santa Cruz presents a range of indicators that can be used to develop strategies toward a more inclusive economy in the...

SOLEDAD — Soledad Chamber of Commerce will host the Soledad 35th Annual Christmas Celebration tonight in the form of a drive-thru light parade. Beginning at 5 p.m., vehicles with lights will travel through town to bring in the festive mood on a Saturday evening. The...

GREENFIELD — Greenfield Police Department has arrested four gang members from Soledad for weapons-related charges. On Oct. 30 at about 11 p.m., officers stopped a vehicle near the intersection of Oak Avenue and Tom Rodgers Circle for traffic violations. The driver — David Madrigal, 22, of...

SALINAS — Hartnell Community College’s Governing Board voted unanimously to grant temporary emergency powers to Superintendent/President Patricia Hsieh, during an emergency meeting Wednesday. All seven district directors were present for the March 18 vote, but the student member was absent. The action allows Hsieh to respond to the novel coronavirus...

GONZALES — Monterey County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate a suspected murder-suicide that took place Saturday morning in Gonzales. At about 9:08 a.m. on Feb. 18, sheriff’s deputies responded to a physical altercation in progress in the 28000 block of Alta Street. Two brothers —...