Free Republic

- A drag queen storytime event planned for next week in Monterey is stirring controversy and sparking strong opinions across the community. The event, hosted by the Monterey Public Library in partnership with Monterey Peninsula Pride and Oscar’s Playground, is scheduled for June 11 and features a drag performer named Saint Sallos.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's office on Wednesday announced that he has granted clemency to a person who committed a crime in Monterey County. The governor is allowed to extend executive clemency in the form of a pardon, commutation or reprieve. According to Newsom's office, the governor bases his decisions on the grantee's self-development and accountability after conviction. Andy Silvestre, now a resident of Arizona, applied and was approved for clemency. Silvestre was sentenced to three years probation and 120 days in jail for possession or purchase of cocaine base for sale in 1990. He was approved after providing evidence he has...

Several dozens of sea lions fell into the waters near the Monterey Harbor on Nov. 20. Evan Brodsky recorded the video calling the spectacle a sea lion "avalanche." The sea lions fall into the waters in a mesmerizing wave.

Americans are being left outraged as Covid era mask rules appear to be creeping back into daily life. This week a hospital system in Monterey, California, which treats nearly 400,000 patients a year, reinstated its face mask mandate for visitors and patients. Meanwhile several counties in the Bay Area have also brought back mask rules in healthcare facilities ahead of flu season.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is investigating an incident of animal harassment in Monterey after a man was caught on camera whipping sea lions with what appeared to be caution tape. The incident was recorded at Sister Park in Monterey. The man climbed over a fence near Fisherman's Wharf and scared the sea lions. "They should rename this from Sister City Park to Sea Lion Park whenever this happens," a local resident said. "Oh my God!" said a person reacting to the video. "I saw that this morning, and man, I hope they're not a local. That's pretty lame,"...

A marina biologist captured a rare sight in the Monterey Bay over the weekend. Nancy Black, a marine biologist with Monterey Bay Whale Watch and the director of the California Killer Whale Project, said that on Saturday, a group of orcas was spotted. The group included an adult female with her offspring, according to Black. "They had fed on a few sea lions earlier in the day, and when we found them, they were spy-hopping, breaching, pec and tail slapping and just very surface active. The youngsters were chasing each other, and the group was rolling together with lots of...

An invasion of sea lions at San Carlos beach in Monterey forced city leaders to close the beach Monday to all users, indefinitely. “This is one of my favorite beaches to hang out on, on the lunch break, so I can't go there because it's partitioned off, but yeah, I love it,” said Teresa Jones, of Pacific Grove. Barricades have been put up, preventing beachgoers from accessing the beach. The area is also a popular spot for scuba divers and diving lessons; the sea lions force them out as well. “So there's actually a really great, another beach just about...

The sheriff of Monterey County, Tina Nieto is coming under fire after she was stopped for speeding and reckless driving on several occasions by CHP officers, and in every case, she was able to drive off with just a warning despite traveling more than 90 mph and weaving in and out of traffic. Each incident was caught on dashboard cams. The incidents happened as Nieto was driving on Highway 101 in south Monterey County. On Sept. 23 of last year, the sheriff was stopped for speeding and reckless driving. Officer: I stopped you for initially when you passed me you...

During a time of drastic change in the world of technology, a story of triumph and lost opportunities, and a mysterious death after a fight at a Monterey bar. Fifty years ago, in Pacific Grove, in the tool shed of a house on Bayview, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School named Gary Kildall wrote the software that ignited the personal computer revolution. “Gary made it possible for anybody's program to run on anyone's computer,” said Tom Rolander, Kildall’s best friend and right-hand man. In 1974, Kildall created CPM (Control Program for Microcomputers) and started Digital Research Incorporated, or DRI...

Some people living near Jack's Peak Park are on edge after a reported bear sighting. Officials say it is rare in the area and only happens every few years. Neighbors say this is something they never thought they'd see in their community. Images show the bear casually strolling through the La Mesa neighborhood in Monterey just before 3 a.m. on Sunday. The bear was described as having long, shaggy brown fur and standing about three feet tall and four feet wide. "I kind of freaked out because I lived out here my whole life, and I've never even heard of...

A web-like substance was seen falling from the skies across the Central Coast Wednesday morning. The sticky and fluffy substance has been seen falling in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties. It is reminiscent of spider silk, but that has not been confirmed to be the source. Wednesday's winds were coming from the east across the mountains. So far, the substance was reported in Hollister, Santa Cruz, Salinas and Monterey. If you have seen the substance falling, you can send photos and videos to KSBW by uploading them here: ksbw.com/upload.

A Monterey pediatrician known for his anti-vax beliefs, Douglas Hulstedt, has lost his medical license in the wake of a dramatic custody battle case Hulstedt was a part of, one that even he publicly called “fairly grisly.” In that case, a 9-year-old boy was shot and killed by his father who in turn killed himself, after the father was ordered by a judge to present his son for routine childhood vaccinations in 2021. Hulstedt advised the father that such vaccinations were dangerous. The California Medical Board filed an accusation against Hulstedt last year for gross negligence due to “lacking basic...

Salinas River is predicted to hit 28-feet at Salinas BridgeMonterey County is warning residents that flooding along the Salinas River could impact travel between the Monterey Peninsula and the rest of the county. The worst case scenario of this impact is that both Highway 1 and Highway 68 are closed, turning the peninsula into an island. River-level predictions created by NOAA and NWS show that the Salinas River is expected to crest at 27.7-feet where it flows under Highway 68 near Spreckels. The county has said that at 28-feet the river will impact travel, and either forcing the county...

Officials at the Monterey Bay Aquarium are reporting seeing larger rafts of sea otters off of the Cannery Row area in Monterey. A raft is a group of sea otters resting in the kelp. “This is a really cool phenomenon that we don't typically see in this area. We have seen rafts of this size on the Peninsula but they are typically offshore,” Jessica Fujii, Sea Otter Program Manager for Monterey Bay Aquarium, said. Fujii says it appears to be more of a localized movement rather than a big migration. Usually, in this area, one can see anywhere from five...

Monterey County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team members and a California State Park ranger located two lost hikers in the backcountry of Big Sur. The sheriff's department says the two-day hikers became lost when they crossed multiple creeks and rivers as darkness set in. Neither hiker had a flashlight and was using their cell phone lights to see the trail. During their hike, one of their phone's died and the other had low power. The sheriff's department said they reached a spot with some cell service and were able to call for help. Their location was confirmed, and they were...

The California Coastal Commission will decide whether to permit a proposed Marina desalination plant on Thursday. But the mayor of Marina, Bruce Carlos Delgado, plans to fight it. "Marina gets none of the water, but all of the harm," Delgado said. "Our air, our coastline, our groundwater is threatened, our vertical pools will dry up. The walking path to the beach will be past industrial facilities that Monterey and Carmel will never allow on their beaches." The project was proposed by California American Water, which would use the plant to deliver millions of gallons of water to about 100,000 of...

The Central Coast staple, Phil’s Fish Market, opened their new Castroville location, on Saturday. After 20 years of service in Moss Landing, the iconic Phil’s Fish Market had to move because the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute did not renew its lease. "Instead of seeing the ocean they see artichokes,” says Phil DiGirolamo, Phil’s Fish Market Owner. The location is right next to the Castroville sign off Merritt Street. "You go down to Moss Landing and you go to what we call the island. There are no more cars, there's no more people there, it's almost deserted. When Phil was...

San Jose Creek Trail south of Carmel, which connects Palo Corona Regional Park to Ixchenta State Park, will open to the public Saturday after being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The trail was made possible through coordinated land acquisitions and public access planning through the Lobos-Corona Parklands Partnership consisting of the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District, Big Sur Land Trust, California State Parks, and Point Lobos Foundation. San Jose Creek Trail was previously set to open in March 2020. Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District resumed scheduled docent-led hikes on the trail in February and the Lobos-Corona Parklands Partnership resumed...

A dog fight in Marina between two pit bulls ended with one being stabbed to death with a pocket knife. Police say a woman was walking her dog on a leash when another dog bolted from the front door of a home on Reindollar Avenue and Zanetta Drive and attacked the dog on the leash. After attempting to separate the animals, the woman of the leashed pit bull used a pocket knife in her possession to break up the fight. The unleashed dog did not survive. The leashed pit bull needed multiple stitches and was injured on the top of...

A horse that went missing in Prunedale was found Friday, nearly two weeks after it was reported stolen. The horse's owner, Jennifer Moore-Gardoni, discovered her horse missing on the morning of Aug. 18. The Monterey County Sheriff's Department got involved and it was being investigated as a stolen horse. On Friday, Sept. 2, the horse, "Rocky," was discovered on the property of the owner by an observant Pacific Gas and Electric employee. Jennifer posted the discovery on her Facebook profile, "Thank god for PG&E! The guy came out to look at the power lines. He had to walk way back...