KRKC COUNTRY

  Southern Monterey County Republican Women Federated will be holding its monthly meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 11:30 a.m. at the Cork & Plough Restaurant located at 200 Broadway in King City. The guest speakers will be mayor of King City, Mike LeBarre and mayor of Greenfield, Robert “Bob” White.  They will review the past year in King City and Greenfield and what the plans are for the future.  Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting. For reservations and further information call (831) 385-1333 or email karenjleonhard@gmail.com

  SALINAS, California -- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on January 31 that Salinas Valley Prison Inmates Roberto Carlos Cortez and Juan Jose Bueno, 30, were each convicted by a jury of First-Degree Murder and Possession of a Weapon. Juan Jose Bueno was also convicted of Assault by a Life Prisoner. The Honorable Stephanie Hulsey presided over the trial. Bueno admitted he had previously been convicted of four “strikes” under California’s Three Strikes Law, including a prior conviction for Murder. Bueno faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, without the possibility of parole. Cortez admitted he had previously been convicted of four “strikes” under California’s Three Strikes Law. Cortez faces a maximum sentence of 75 years to life in prison. On March 21, 2023, Cortez and Bueno participated in a two on one stabbing of inmate Steven Lovely during recreational time in the day room. They used weapons to stab Lovely close to 50 times until he was unresp...

  The County of Monterey Agricultural Commissioner’s Office is accepting applications for the AG Pass Program until March 31, 2025.   With an AG Pass card badge, commercial agricultural operators are able to display this badge to emergency staff at disaster roadblocks for limited emergency access activities on to their property. Scan the QR code above to visit the AG Pass webpage and learn about the program’s eligibility criteria, application submittal requirements and how you can apply. Apply for an AG Pass online or pick up a paper application at the following locations: • Agricultural Commissioner’s Office at 1428 Abbott St, Salinas CA • Agricultural Commissioner’s South County Office at 522 North 2nd Street, King City CA • Monterey County Farm Bureau at 1140 Abbott St, Suite C, Salinas CA • Castroville Library, 11140 Speegle St., Castroville, CA 95012 • Supervisor Lopez, District 3 Office, 599 El Camino Real (inside Greenfield City Hall), Greenfield CA   Click here to...

  SPCA of Monterey County is offering free mobile spay and neuter surgeries for dogs and cats in South Monterey County. These free clinics for South County residents are sponsored by our friends at Hitchcock Road Animal Services and staffed by SPCA Monterey County’s veterinary team. This is in addition to our low-cost Veterinary Clinic at the SPCA, available by appointment Monday through Friday every week, which spays and neuters over 8,000 animals every year and offers free feral cat surgeries year-round.  These free mobile clinics are open to dogs, feral cats, and friendly cats located in South Monterey County, from Chualar south to the county lines. As always, our affordable Veterinary Clinic at the SPCA remains open to all Monterey County residents.  Our upcoming free surgeries in South Monterey County include: Wednesday, Feb 12: King City - King City Recreation Center, 401 Division St. Wednesday, Feb 26: Soledad - Soledad Lions Club, 161 Park St. Wednesday...

  SALINAS – Rising costs of regulatory compliance for lettuce growers indicate a 63.7% increase in the past seven years in a study commissioned by Monterey County Farm Bureau prepared by CalPoly San Luis Obispo professors Lynn Hamilton, Ph.D., and Michael McCullough, Ph.D.    This new study updated their regulatory costs study from 2017 with additional regulatory program requirements implemented in the intervening years.    Increased regulatory compliance requirements through 2024 bring lettuce grower total costs of regulation to $1,600 per acre, an increase of 63.7% from the 2017 study and a 1366% increase since 2006 (date of the original study).   This indicates that regulatory costs are now 12.6% of total production costs, while farmgate values for lettuce increased only 0.37% from 2017 to 2024.   Increased regulatory compliance mandates since 2017 come from the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, Irrigated Lands Program, equipment emissions reg...

  According to the Monterey County Sheriff's Office, at approximately 4:07 AM on Thursday morning, January 16, 2025, deputies at the Monterey County Jail located an incarcerated person in their housing cell who was unresponsive. Deputies immediately began performing life saving measures on the subject, while emergency services personnel from allied fire and ambulance agencies were also requested to assist. Paramedics arrived on the scene and continued life saving measures. The incarcerated person was pronounced dead in the Monterey County Jail. The decedent has been identified as 37-year-old Elisa Sanchez of King City, California. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office has requested assistance from the Coroner Unit of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office to perform the post-mortem forensic examination and determine the decedent’s cause and manner of death. No further information will be released at this time.

  WASHINGTON, DC – On Wednesday, January 15 U.S. Representatives Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will distribute $14,346,751 to the City of Santa Cruz to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.   “As the threat of climate change becomes more severe, it is important to make investments that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the environment. Thanks to this federal funding, the City of Santa Cruz will be able to increase access to EV charging infrastructure for residents and visitors alike. Even when there is partisan talk questioning the climate crisis, we vow to continue following sound science and supporting the allocation of federal resources for sustainable projects that boost our local economies,” said Reps. Lofgren and Panetta.   The project, known as the Monterey Bay Region Equitable EV Charging Project, aims to install EV charging ports at 44...