Five years ago, a wallflower that grows only on the sand of local dunes nearly disappeared.
Only five Menzies wallflowers held out, the rest snuffed out by decades-old patches of ice plant in the ground at the Point Pinos Lighthouse in Pacific Grove.
But today, more than 130 of the flowers are growing at the city’s golf course. Another 250 will be in the ground soon.
Ahh! Food for deer, attracting more mountain lions.
A man’s body was found Tuesday near 275 Lighthouse Ave. in Monterey, police reported.
John Knudsen, a transient known to local police for years, was found dead at 4:05 a.m. Monterey police officers said they didn’t know Knudsen’s age.
Call it Alisal, the New Alisal or El Nuevo Alisal de Salinas — but don’t call it east Salinas.
That term no longer is appropriate to describe the cluster of neighborhoods that make up roughly one-third of the city, generally east of Highway 101 and south of Constitution Boulevard, community leaders say.
They want to replace the moniker, which they say has come to evoke images of crime and negative racial and socio-economic stereotypes on the eastern side of Salinas, with a term free of any damaging stigma.
What ever it’s called will still be known as the ‘bad side of town’. Better to clean up the filth and criminals. Make “East Salinas” a name to associate with working families that take pride in their homes.
But there was time and money to kill the ice plant that prevented erosion.
Facing a projected half-million-dollar shortfall by June, the Pacific Grove City Council approved one-time cuts to nearly all of the city’s departments on Wednesday to balance the budget while avoiding layoffs.
Vacancies in the police department, $320,000.
Delay in the completion of storm drainage work, $75,000
Eliminating a winter youth basketball game, $1,500
Spring adult sports, $1,200
Part-time shelver at the library, $8,000
Maintenance of ocean-front turnouts, $6,000
Items on the list include maintenance of trees, recreation trails, sidewalks and streets; competitive pay for police officers and firefighters; and restoring Sunday and night hours twice a week at the library.
Salinas police this morning used a Taser stun gun to subdue burglary suspect Carlos Beltran, 25,who led officers on a chase, police said. Beltran was taken into custody with-out further incident. Beltran was not injured, Ruiz said.
Like to report a little happy tazing news once in awhile
12/1/06 Victim reports the theft from locked vehicle in the 600 block of Cypress.
12/2/06 Citizen reports unknown to have damaged fence on the 2100 block of David.
12/2/06 Victim reports suspicious activity in the 800 block of Cannery Row.
12/2/06 ENRIQUEZ, PABLO ZAMORA was arrested for DUI resulting in a traffic accident from the 100 Block of Lighthouse.
12/3/06 Citizen reports unknown to have keyed his vehicle while it was parked at the 400 block of Pine.
12/4/06 Citizen reports prowler in front of residence at the 100 block of Lighthouse.
12/4/06 MCSO was aided in the citation of MCFARLAND III, JAMES WILLIAM at the 300 block of David Ave.
12/5/06 FISHER, WALTER M was arrested in the 500 block of Hawthorne for possession of a syringe.
12/7/06 DAVIDSON, SHANDA was arrested for DUI in the 600 block of Lighthouse.
12/7/06 HURD, GREGORY was arrested for DUI and being involved in a collision w/parked vehicle in the 900 block of David Ave.
12/8/06 Citizen reports unknown WFA to have taken an unknown number of items from the 800 block of Belden.
12/9/06 Victim reports an unknown WMA punched him while inside the Bulldog Pub,611 Lighthouse.
12/9/06 WENDELL, THOMAS was arrested for DUI in the 100 block of Lighthouse.
12/9/06 GOLDBECK, NATHAN was issued a citation for driving on a suspended license in the 600 block of Hawthorne.
12/9/06 BRADFORD, CYNDRA was arrested for elder abuse and assault with a deadly weapon in the 800 block of Lyndon.
12/9/06 LAUGHLIN, MARC was placed under citizen’s arrest for battery at Sly McFlys.
12/11/06 An employee of Monterey Bay Security placed AQUINO-HERNANDEZ, ALEJANDRO under citizen’s arrest for vandalism at After The Quake, 643 Cannery Row.
12/11/06 MARTIN, KENNETH arrested for public intoxication on the Recreation Trail at Irving. POLD: Recreation Trail.
12/12/06 Stolen vehicle in the 1600 block of Withers.
12/12/06 ARTELLAN, DELITA was arrested for public intoxication and drinking alcohol in public at Archer and Prescott. POLD: Archer and Prescott.
12/12/06 ARTELLAN, DELITA was arrested on two outstanding warrants.
12/14/06 Victim reports the theft of a Honda 2000 gasoline generator while chained to his RV on Cannery Row.
12/15/06 Victim reports the burglary to an office in the 300 block of Foam.
12/15/06 Victim reports the attempted burglary to a business in the 300 block of Foam.
12/16/06 DOBBS, BRIANNA was arrested for DUI and driving on a suspended license in the 2300 block of Del Monte. POLD: Ocean Thunder.
12/16/06 Report of vandalism in the 200 block of Lighthouse.
12/17/06 RUTLEDGE, LARRY was placed under arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs at Wave & Hoffman. POLD: Sukura’s
12/18/06 Report of threat with a knife on Cannery Row at Hoffman
12/18/06 MPD towed a Lime Green, 68, Chevy from the S/W corner of Spencer @ Drake for parking over 72 hrs in the same location.
12/18/06 CHANG, SUSAN was placed under arrest for driving under the influence of prescription medication in the 600 block of Lighthouse.
12/19/06 LOPEZ, LISANDRO was arrested for DUI at Foam and Lighthouse.
12/20/06 ROTHSTEIN-JACOBSON, SEAN was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance in the 100 block of Lighthouse.
12/20/06 ROTHSTEIN-JACOBSON, SEAN was arrested on a $7,500 misdemeanor warrant out of MCSO.
12/22/06 Citizen reports embezzlement by an unknown employee at the 700 block of Cannery Row.
12/22/06 RODRIQUEZ, FRANK and CROW, SEAN were arrested for public intoxication at the 600 block of Prescott.
12/23/06 Citizen reports vandalism to his business in the 500 block of Wave.
12/24/06 Citizen reports 2 outdoor solar lights to have been taken from his front yard in the 800 block of Archer.
12/24/06 Citizen reports an unknown suspect to have collided with her black Mazda pickup in the rear lot of Longs at 686 Lighthouse.
12/25/06 REYES, FRANCISCO was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. McCORMICK, JEFFREY was arrested for possession of altered documents, possession of burglary tools and being under the influence of a controlled substance in the 300 block of Drake.
12/25/06 Citizen reports a burglary to his residence at the 800 block of Laine.
12/27/06 Citizen reports MARTIN, KEN and ROBINSON, TARA to have refused to leave the business in the 600 block of Lighthouse.. Both were contacted and warned. MARTIN was additionally cited for possession of an open container.
12/28/06 On The Beach Surf Shop reports unknown to have damage their front plate glass window.
12/30/06 LEWIS, DENNIS and BUSTAMANTE, JOHN were arrested for public intoxication in the 600 block of Lighthouse. POLD: Sly McFly’s.
12/31/06 On The Beach Surf Shop reports unknown to have damaged two front plate glass windows.
The Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce has launched three fundraising campaigns for various projects throughout the city:
• Furnish the teacher’s lounge at Pacific Grove Middle School.
• Funds for the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary for more trees in the center of the sanctuary and a new drip irrigation system<
• Funds to assess the antiquated streetlights on Candy Cane Lane that require special and expensive maintenance.
All noble causes. But shouldn’t the COC be working to bring some commerce to town? They are out begging for $$ while storefronts remain empty.
A large ocean swell wreaked havoc in Monterey Harbor on Wednesday night, dislodging Monterey’s fireworks barge and four boats from their moorings.
The barge, known as Sparky, had been anchored in the water just off Del Monte Beach, on the east side of Monterey Municipal Wharf No. 2. It broke free despite being secured by a “double-anchor, fail-safe system,” said Scheiblauer.
Mother nature knows nothing is failsafe.
UPDATE – Barge pushed & pulled back out to sea.
The city used an 85-foot commercial fishing boat owned by the Pennisi family combined with contractor Steve Wendt’s bulldozer to refloat the 60-ton beached barge.
Scheiblauer did not have the total cost tallied on Tuesday, but he estimated the bill to be up to $7,000.
Catching parking scofflaws in San Francisco has become easier with the help of high-tech cameras that scan license plates in search of cars saddled with unpaid citations.
A city parking crew operating the new system can almost instantaneously find cars with at least five outstanding tickets. A two-person team roams city streets with two small cameras mounted atop their unmarked vehicle. The cameras can scan 250 or more plates an hour.
And when a match is made, the crew attaches a yellow metal boot to the front wheel, removing it only after the tickets are paid.
Aint that cool? Could get more $$ from the merchants that park all day in 2 hour spots.
In what police describe as a “probable” suicide leap, a prominent Monterey Bay Area attorney fell at least nine floors to his death at the Embassy Suites Hotel Monterey Bay in Seaside the morning before Christmas.
Shortly before 9:30 a.m. Sunday, officers found the body of Aptos attorney Paul Sanford in the west end of the hotel lobby, where he had landed on a large ventilation grate.
Police Capt. Steve Cercone said horrified guests were eating breakfast in the atrium at the time, and a number of witnesses saw Sanford fall from somewhere between the 9th and 12th floors.