Free Republic

SALINAS, Calif. — A convicted inmate murderer was sentenced for the murder of another inmate at Salinas Valley State Prison, per Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni. John Lydon, 52, was found guilty of the murder of Son Kim Tran. He received life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Things are not happy in Monterey County. The California county, which Kamala won by 63%, is considered a ‘sanctuary’ for illegal aliens by the Department of Homeland Security. But that sanctuary status was recently violated and local officials are outraged. So is the Solidarity Network: a pro-illegal alien group that ‘monitors’ immigration enforcement arrests. Monterey County Board of Supervisors Chair Chris Lopez responded by announcing that a maternal health walk was cancelled. “Monterey County deeply values the contributions of our immigrant workers and families that strengthen our local communities and economy,” Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo posted. The Monterey Solidarity...

- 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.

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office says its Explosive Ordnance Unit was called to a Salinas home on Saturday. A deputy spokesperson said that an anti-tank rocket was found in a Salinas home near 500 Capitol Street. Salinas police received a call of a possible mortar being found in the home at around 4:43 p.m. Mulitple homes in the area were evacuated as a precaution. "Bomb technicians were able to identify the device as a High Explosive Anti-Tank (H.E.A.T.) rocket. After examining the device with highly sophisticated equipment, bomb technicians determined the device contained hazardous characteristics and proceeded to conduct a...

Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced Friday that a man was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he allegedly attacked a prostitute with a machete back in April 2023. Felipe Saavedra, 38, of Salinas, was found guilty of one count of forcible rape and one count of assault with a deadly weapon with an enhancement for causing great bodily injury. The now-convicted rapist will have to also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, said Pacioni. Salinas Police told KSBW at the time of the initial arrest that the victim and her attacker...

A popular Big Sur hiking trail has reopened after damage from severe storms forced it to close. The Pine Ridge Trail is located at the Big Sur Station just south of the main entrance to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Par. The more than 20-mile trail goes from Pfeiffer Big Sur to China Camp, deep into U.S. Forest Service land. The trail was closed following storm damage, which saw washouts and toppled trees along the Central Coast. This trail is extremely popular on weekends and holidays when backpackers are drawn to Sykes Hot Springs.

A second atmospheric river is on its way to California, just as the state contends with a levee breach, evacuations and other damage from this week's winter storm. The next atmospheric river — a long, narrow band of moisture drawn from the tropics — is forecast for Monday, and could be more powerful than the last. California has been inundated by the latest front. In Oroville, north of Sacramento, a swift water rescue team helped two people stranded on an island in the Feather River get to safety. In the Central Coast, river flooding in Atascadero and Paso Robles was...

Around midnight on Saturday, the levee along the Pajaro River in north Monterey County was breached, forcing thousands of residents of the Pajaro to evacuate in the middle of the night. According to Monterey County, both the Monterey County Water Resources Agency and the California Department of Water Resources were along the levee trying to stop the flooding when the levee was breached. Earlier in the day, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office had issued an evacuation order for the community of Pajaro. Volunteers, including Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo and Santa Cruz County Supervisors Felipe Hernandez, had knocked on doors...

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...

Prosecutors said Smart was killed during an attempted rape by then Cal Poly classmate Paul Flores. His father had been accused of helping dispose of the body, which was never found. A California man has been convicted of killing Kristin Smart, a college student who disappeared in 1996, and his father was found not guilty by a separate jury of disposing of her body. Paul Flores was found guilty Tuesday of first-degree murder and faces 25 years to life. His father, Ruben Flores, had been charged with accessory after the fact. He faced up to three years in prison. A...

A Tesla Megapack battery caught fire at PG&E’s Elkhorn Battery Storage facility in Monterey County, California. A shelter-in-place advisory was in place for 12 hours due to fears of toxic smoke from the fire caused by Elon Musk’s battery system, with county officials announcing that even though the fire was “fully controlled” by 7:00 p.m. PT, “smoke may still occur in the area for several days.” KSBW Action News 8 reports that a Tesla Megapack battery caught fire at the local utility company PG&E’s Elkhorn Battery Storage facility in Monterey County, California. The fire reported started at around 1:30 a.m....

The fire burned 128,050 acres and destroyed 14 buildingsThe man who started the 2020 Dolan Fire in Big Sur was found guilty in a Salinas courtroom on Thursday. Ivan Geronimo Gomez was found guilty of 16 felonies including arson, marijuana cultivation, injury to a firefighter and animal cruelty. The Dolan Fire eventually destroyed 128,050 acres and 14 structures, and may have killed 11 endangered condors. More than a dozen firefighters were injured, one critically, when they had to deploy their emergency fire shelters. Gomez could be facing 24 years in prison.

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office solved a 40-year-old murder case involving the 1981 murder of a 30-year-old Central Coast woman. On Oct. 15, 1981, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office went to Sonia Carmen Herok Stone's home in the Carmel Point area of Monterey County. She had been murdered. Stone was a single mother, living alone with her young daughter. She worked for the Levi Strauss Company at the time of her death. The Sheriff's Office identified a suspect, Michael Scott Glazebrook, who was 25 years old at the time and Stone’s neighbor. The case went to trial in 1983 and...

The small Monterey County town of Parkfield boasts a lofty title: the earthquake capital of the world.

Announced today, Apple's program is designed to store some 240 megawatt-hours of energy — enough to power more than 7,000 homes for a day — at the company's 130-megawatt California Flats solar farm. The project is being hailed by the tech giant as one of the largest battery projects in the country.According to documents filed with the Monterey County Board of Supervisors in 2020, and unearthed by The Verge, Apple plans to use 85 Tesla lithium-ion Megapacks as part of the initiative. Some of the energy stored in the batteries will reportedly be used to power Apple Park in...

Two men who were awaiting trial on unrelated murder charges when they escaped from a California jail early Sunday were arrested by federal officials Wednesday, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office said. Santos Fonseca, 21, and Jonathan Salazar, 20, were taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, the office announced in a tweet. Further details about their arrests were not immediately available, but police are expected to provide updates during a press conference at 2 p.m. ET. Both men are gang-related murder suspects and had been considered dangerous since their escape from a jail in Salinas early Sunday....

SALINAS, Calif. — Monterey County Sheriff Steve Bernal announced Monday that he will no longer allow a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent to have a desk in the Monterey County Jail. A new California law going into effect January 1, 2018, SB54, declares California as a "sanctuary state." Bernal said his decision to remove the ICE agent's desk was a result of complying with SB54, as well as consulting with several stakeholders who advocate for immigrants' rights on the Central Coast. An ICE agent was given a desk at the Monterey County Jail two years ago, shortly after Bernal...

Prosecutors confirmed Tuesday that five King City police officers, including the former and acting chiefs of police, were arrested early this morning. Chief Assistant District Attorney Terry Spitz said details of the arrests and charges against the officers would be announced at a press conference at 2 p.m. in Salinas. The officers arrested were longtime Chief Nick Baldiviez, who retired in September, Acting Chief Bruce Miller, Sgt. Bobby Carrillo and officers Mario Mottu Sr. and Jaime Andrade.

Earl forwarded me the following email, with the same caveat I’m giving you: I do not know if the data is accurate — and I’m not going to check. As with previous emails, I’m passing it along as is in regard to the facts. Of course, should you investigate these facts, or have first-hand knowledge about them, I’d be delighted if you’d share your information with us. What Obama-Care is Really About?!I’m a 54 year old consulting engineer and make between $60,000 and $125,000 per year, depending on how hard I work and whether or not there are work projects...

The Army's controlled burn has jumped past its containment line and is now burning a 72-acre parcel south of where it was supposed to stay. The fire is still within the Army's secondary containment line but has required York School's students and faculty to be evacuated... The fire is the latest in a long series of controlled burns intended to clear heavy brush so crews can find and remove hidden explosives left over from active operations at the base...