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Salinas
February 18, 2026

Window on the World Column | SCAR — 10 Years of Excellence

Lucy Jensen
My dog rescue efforts started a long time ago. I would pick up strays on the roads of the country or streets of the city and not know exactly what to do with them. Finally, I created an area of our property where I...

Funny Papers Again Column | A Rant Twixt Two Random Thoughts

Steve Wilson
I don’t know the extremes to which one can go to be called a pacifist, so I don’t label myself one but do join the majority that eschews violence. I don’t like witnessing people fighting in anger, and I’m sure I’m not alone in...

Window on the World Column | Pleases and Thank Yous

Lucy Jensen
When we were young, my mother would tolerate only two days of freedom post-Christmas — i.e. Christmas Day and Boxing Day — before she was hitting us hard with our required thank-you lists and the obligatory smiley thank-you letter to each person, that should...

Funny Papers Again Column | Taking the Easy Way Out Ain’t Always Easy

Steve Wilson
It is easy to sit down at the keyboard and churn out a thousand words when the subject has some local interest, which I can do for no other reason than I have some very vivid memories of life here in the Valley that...

Guest Column | Building the Future of Rural Healthcare: Investing in Our Students Today

Mee Memorial Healthcare System Rena Salamacha
As a rural healthcare system here in South Monterey County, it is clear that our long-term strength depends on the next generation who will one day walk our halls as doctors, nurses, technologists, engineers and healthcare leaders. With this in mind, this year, Mee Memorial...

Funny Papers Again Column | Moon Trees, African Grapefruit and Annual Farm Day Returns

Steve Wilson
Most of us know sunflowers. In the Salinas Valley, they are a common sight in yards and fields up and down and across the land. Many among us remember rows of the tall, large yellow blooms were spaced among the row crops as wind...

Window on the World Column | The Staples of Life

Lucy Jensen
ā€œDo you have to put those in?ā€ I enquired of the medical expert, when he was trying to explain the procedure to me. ā€œYes, they are the best!ā€ he replied. ā€œSurely there is a less tortuous way to achieve the same end?ā€ I continued, only...

Letter to the Editor | Giving Thanks for Another Successful Coat Drive

To the Editor: I would like to thank all the wonderful people who helped to supply the homeless and those in need with coats and jackets. I would like to thank Jose at the Greenfield Community Science Workshop who has been helping me for the past nine years. I...

Funny Papers Again Column | My Purge of Unnoteworthy Notes Fell Short, so I Ad-Libbed the Ending

Steve Wilson
This column marks the end of compiled topics, both those on scraps of paper and whatever is on my cell phone, so don’t look for much in the way of content. Nonetheless, I am committed to this purge, so let me trot this stuff...

Guest Column | Monterey County Free Libraries’ 5 Things to Celebrate in January 2026

Library books reading
Happy New Year! January is such a hopeful month because it represents a new beginning. What are you resolving to do this new year? 1. The Winter Reading Club continues through January, so you still have time to sign up and get a free book....

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,...