GONZALES — Cars, bikes and motorcycles were on display Saturday in downtown Gonzales for this year’s Car Show. Raul Hernandez of Salinas was a triple award winner at the April 20 event on Fourth Street, winning plaques for Best Paint Job, Best Car in Show and Kids Choice for his 1963 Chevy Impala. Val Varela won the Judges Choice Award and the Mayor’s Award, and Isaac Robledo won the Best Classic Car Award. Henry Ventura II of Soledad won the Best Stock Original for a 1963 Impala Super Sport and Judges Choice Award for his 1947 Stylemaster. Other car award winners included: Jesse Gonzales, Be ..read more

SOLEDAD — Last Thursday, April 18, at North Salinas High School in Salinas, the Soledad High girls’ 4×100 relay team established a new school record in the track event with a time of 53.44. Members of the Aztecs relay team were: juniors Chikamso Elelleh and Giselle Zepeda and freshmen Justina Botello and Chidalu Elelleh. The previous record was held by the team of Mariela Lopez, Alejandra Rodriguez, Lissette Villegas and Denise Virgen, who set the mark of 53.83 in 2016. “These young women of excellence, who all have a 4.0 GPA, are flying with excellence on and off the field with extracurricul ..read more

SOLEDAD — Pinnacles National Park will break ground on a park-wide paving project beginning at the end of April, resulting in some closures for visitors during the late spring and early summer period. The massive project will address necessary repairs to every road and paved surface in the park, improving the condition of the road for cars and bicyclists. According to Chris Symons, the park’s west lead ranger, the project will extend the lifetime of the pavement by an estimated 10 years. “However, it will also result in some disruptions to the visitor experience during the late ..read more

I am grateful for Mee Memorial Healthcare System, I really am. In the past decade I have had more contact with the folks there than I wanted to, but as one ages one must face the realities of natural physical deterioration or, as in my case, the recklessness of past activities, such as auto wrecks or work/play related injuries. For the most part, with one exception I can think of, I have received very good care. That said, I am dismayed with the situation of professional care for which one must travel out of South Valley to get treatment. I don’t know the number of residents from Gonzales to ..read more

SCHOOL CARNIVAL SOLEDAD — The annual Soledad Education Foundation Carnival is scheduled for April 25-28 at Frank Ledesma School, 973 Vista De Soledad. Ride tickets can be bought in advance at the following school sites: Frank Ledesma, Gabilan, Main Street, Soledad High and CEC. Last day for ticket sales is Thursday morning, April 25. Proceeds benefit teachers and schools. MOTHER’S DAY CARDS SALINAS — Alliance on Aging needs volunteers to help create Mother’s Day cards for its “I Remember Mama” campaign. The cards should have fun, loving and hopeful messages, and will be delivered to the facil ..read more

MONTEREY COUNTY — With the support of a pivotal grant from the California Department of Aging, the Alliance on Aging (AOA) is embarking on a transformative journey to foster age- and disability-friendly communities across Salinas, North and South Monterey County. This initiative, part of the Local Aging and Disabilities Action Plan (LADAP), aims to address the unique needs of older adults and individuals with disabilities, focusing on creating inclusive, supportive environments. Phoebe Cheney, a dedicated committee member and a lifelong resident of South Monterey County, highlights the critic ..read more

MONTEREY COUNTY — Every spring, female opossums hold babies in their pouches growing strong and healthy. Sadly, some of these mother opossums are hit by cars as they forage for food, and their babies cannot survive without emergency rescue. “On this first day of spring, we are already currently caring for nine rescued opossum babies after their mother succumbed to suspected rodenticide,” according to the SPCA Monterey County. “Tragically, many more slowly starve or freeze to death in their mother’s pouch after she was hit by a car.” If someone hits an opossum with their car, or sees one lying ..read more

The other day Lorraine and I were talking with a family friend about my column. The friend said she particularly liked the articles about the military, not because she served but because she had loved ones that had served in that little skirmish 10,000 miles from home. There are a lot of stories that I could write about, but I think if I just told of one encounter that occurred, you might get an idea of how the war was fought. My stories are not about heroes or slackers but of the finest group of men I have ever known. I owe my life to a couple of them. These guys made up what was named by th ..read more

SALINAS VALLEY — Monterey County Sheriff’s Office and King City Police Department investigators announced Thursday that they have developed information connecting the deadly mass shooting in King City and the double homicide near Soledad. On March 3, 11 residents were shot during a mass shooting at a birthday party on the 200 block of Second Street in King City. Seven were injured and four were killed. On Feb. 4, two cousins were shot and killed during a double homicide that occurred on Los Coches Road, just outside of Soledad. As part of the ongoing investigation, more than 50 search warrant ..read more

Police Reports are obtained from the local police departments. KING CITY March 23 9:45 a.m. Missing person on N. Vanderhurst March 24 9:42 a.m. Stolen vehicle report (unfounded) on San Antonio Drive. 3:44 p.m. 911 hangup on Jayne St. 9:00 p.m. Missing person on Mustang Ct. March 25 1:08 a.m. Agency Outside Assistance in Greenfield. 5:51 a.m. Unresponsive subject on Pearl St. 8:46 a.m. Vandalism on N. Vanderhurst 8:55 a.m. Juvenile civil issue on Sussex Cr. 10:55 a.m. 72-hour vehicle tag on N. Second St. 11:24 a.m. Vandalism on Canal St. 11:50 a.m. Accidental robbery alarm set off on Ellis St ..read more