Recent: MontereyCountyWeekly.com

[news] Assembly Lineup : Barnes, Alejo rev up their respective political engines. - Monterey County Weekly

Zachary Stahl — 2009-11-19

The 28th District state Assembly primary is turning into another Salinas vs. Watsonville showdown. City Councilwoman and schoolteacher Janet Barnes announced her candidacy Nov. 16, hoping to catch up to Democratic rival Luis Alejo, an attorney who was recently appointed Watsonville’s mayor. Socially progressive Alejo has an impressive endorsement list that includes three Monterey County supervisors, Assemblymember Bill Monning, former Assembly speaker pro tem Fred Keeley, and Latino...

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[news] Design-ated Buy : Orosco Group affiliate ponies up estimated $6 million for Sand City’s Design Center. - Monterey County Weekly

Zachary Stahl — 2009-11-19

A fter recently buying the bank-owned Design Center, The Orosco Group is planning to bring business to the vacant first floor of the Sand City complex. “We are currently in discussion with several restaurants, art galleries and design studios who are enticed by the concept that Sand City remains a blank canvas on which entrepreneurs can test their ideas,” says Patrick Orosco of the Monterey development group. With financial backing from Lyles Diversified, Urban Atelier, a company...

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[galleries] Grand Stanzas: Big Sur’s Carolyn Mary Kleefeld expands her churning catalog of poetry and art with Vagabond Dawns. - Monterey County Weekly

Ryan Masters — 2009-11-19

Big Sur poet and artist Carolyn Mary Kleefeld can often be found on the cliffs of Big Sur reading poetry to a resident condor. “Art is where I gamble,” she says. “It’s Taoistic and intuitive.” Cosmically, the gamble is paying off. Already a Big Sur icon, her international profile as a literary and artistic force continues to grow with the recent publication of her 10th book of poetry, Vagabond Dawns, the adoption of her work into the curriculum of a Welsh...

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[music] Pickup Styx: Renegade keeps the stadium rock bangin’ in Salinas. - Monterey County Weekly

Adam Joseph — 2009-11-19

One of the defining moments of Kent Peterson’s musical life came when he was still in high school: a Styx concert at the Winterland Arena in San Francisco. Thirty years after that definitive night, after responding to an ad on Craigslist, Peterson was given the opportunity to regularly perform with Renegade: A Tribute to Styx. And this Saturday night at Giovane’s, the Sacramento-based band will replicate classics like “Come Sail Away” and “Crystal Ball” by...

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[music] Gimme Mo’: Keb’ Mo’ tries out a new album on Carmel’s Sunset Center. - Monterey County Weekly

Ryan Masters — 2009-11-19

Keb’ Mo’ has never been a man who wants to become a victim of comfort. As proof, the three-time Grammy-winning bluesman left Epic Records to release his new album Live and Mo’ on his own independent label. Sensing that the music industry had gone bottoms-up like a bottle of Old Crow, Mo’ says he wanted to “understand the record-release process better and have more options.” The new album contains both live versions of Mo’ classics like “Victims...

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[cover] Showdown in Slo-Mo: 'Weekly' articles on the Seaside Police Department-City Hall rift. - Monterey County Weekly

Kera Abraham — 2009-11-19

Mystery Leave | Cercone asked DA to investigate case just before put on leave. Aug. 13, 2009 / Zachary Stahl The Corpuz Connection | Former employee alleges Seaside City Manager interfered with police chief's investigation. Aug. 19, 2009 / Kera Abraham UPDATE: Time Out Aug. 20, 2009 / Kera Abraham Escalating Allegations | Ousted Seaside police chief claims criminal obstruction by city manager. Aug. 27, 2009 / Kera Abraham Monterey County, Confidential | Bullfight in Cop Shop:...

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[dining] Pumpkin Thai : How to create a traditional panang take on the seasonal sensation. - Monterey County Weekly

2009-11-19

When I owned and operated a small pumpkin pie business after college, I experimented widely, trying countless permutations on the basic theme, and tweaked my way to some fantastic pie. But walking around a night-market in Bangkok, Thailand, recently, I had an experience that turned my concept of pumpkin pie inside-out. Street food in Bangkok is a universe unto itself, a sweet and savory maze of seemingly infinite culinary creativity. The high quality and consistent freshness of the food seems...

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[news] Nipped in the Bud : The pot thickens as proposal for Sand City marijuana dispensary is snuffed out. - Monterey County Weekly

Robin Urevich — 2009-11-19

The Sand City Council voted unanimously for a 45-day moratorium – effective immediately – on medical marijuana dispensaries in town. “I personally put it on the agenda because I don’t want it in the city,” says Mayor David Pendergrass. “Marijuana is dope to me.” The controversy started earlier this month when a tall, freckle-faced 26-year-old man rose to address the City Council with a statement that he says grabbed everyone’s attention:...

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[news] Cross Compromise? : Monterey City Council considers adjusted approach. - Monterey County Weekly

Robin Urevich — 2009-11-19

The Monterey City Council appeared to be stepping back from its vow to rebuild the Del Monte Beach cross and headed for a compromise with the American Civil Liberties Union at its meeting last Tuesday. The council considered the emotionally charged isssue at closed session, but reached no decision. The 20-foot wooden cross, which was toppled by vandals in late September, was erected in 1969 to mark the spot where Spanish explorers Gaspar de Portola and Father Juan Crespi first arrived in...

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[news] Butterfly Flap : P.G. tree trimming might have caused low monarch turnout. - Monterey County Weekly

Kera Abraham — 2009-11-19

In a city nicknamed Butterfly Town, USA – where an annual Butterfly Parade marks the beginning of the monarch overwintering season, and tourists flock to visit the famous Butterfly House – the absence of thousands of orange-and-black-winged annual visitors is something of an identity crisis. “If Butterfly Town loses its monarchs – not good,” says Pat Herrgott, a long-time volunteer docent at Pacific Grove’s Monarch Grove Sanctuary. The sanctuary is low on...

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[features] Real Estate: By The Numbers - Monterey County Weekly

Adam Joseph — 2009-11-19

$470,000 Recent Sale 25425 Hidden Mesa Road, Monterey Built: 1989 Size: 1,270 square feet Features: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2-car garage Amenities: Fireplace, large fenced yard, view of the green belt, back patio Seller: JP Morgan Chase Bank Buyer: J. Kellogg Agent: Noe A. Renteria, 595-3648 $1,600/mo For Rent 1189 3rd St., Monterey Size: 650 square feet Deposit: $1,600 Features: 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom Amenities: Granite countertops, rosewood flooring, vaulted ceilings,...

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[theater] ’Logue On: Carl Cherry Center’s 'Talk to Me' monologues surges on in its third year. - Monterey County Weekly

Walter Ryce — 2009-11-19

“Fleeting but meaningful flings,” they’re calling it. “They” are the creative minds behind Carl Cherry Center for the Arts (just “the Cherry” to friends), and “it” is this weekend’s Talk to Me monologues program: three days packed with punchy jabs of monologues and soliloquies starting with two days of Shakespeare, Odets, Tennessee Williams and more than a dozen others, as read/performed by local theater luminaries, ending Sunday with...

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[music] Hoofing It: Seaside’s own Razorhoof roars into Blue Fin for a four-band night. - Monterey County Weekly

Adam Joseph — 2009-11-19

The makeshift music room, lit by a single light bulb, feels more like an 8-by-8-foot tomb. A six-foot Emperor amplifier, an oversized four-piece drum set, a mattress pressed up against the lone window and a Twisted Sister record on an empty bookcase are all crammed into the space along with the three musicians. In the hall, Lucky the dog runs frantically back and forth, trying to make sense of the deafening sound. This is the scene every Tuesday and Thursday night, when Razorhoof – a...

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[news] Get Involved: Public Citizen - Monterey County Weekly

Staff — 2009-11-19

ONGOING THANKSGIVING VOLUNTEERS, DONATIONS WANTED | CASTROVILLE – Volunteers Jamieko Lane and Jose Castaneda need help putting on the Cava Thanksgiving Day Family Tradition at the North County Recreation Center. They are looking for 50 volunteers on Nov. 26, food and cash donations, and spare ovens. 737-0809. www.ncrpd.org. THURSDAY 11|19 URBAN RENEWAL | SEASIDE – City Council considers final environmental impact report for Urban Village. 7pm. Council Chambers, 440 Harcourt Ave.,...

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[opinion] Squid Speaks: Squid Fry - Monterey County Weekly

Squid — 2009-11-19

FACTORY MADE… Maybe Squid has given too much ink to Morgan Christopher over the years. Squid has covered the coffeehouse owner’s code violation feud with former Monterey city attorney Bill Conners and last spring’s FOOF fundraiser to keep the Ol’ Factory Café open. Squid was in the know when Christopher was evicted from Café Noir and now watches as the two-sided character heads down the same path at Ol’ Factory. In an e-mail to the Weekly, Christopher says his...

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[opinion] Hi, Dealbreaker : Fighting Stupak in the Senate. - Monterey County Weekly

Emily Douglas — 2009-11-19

“That’s the price of healthcare reform.” That’s what plenty of oh-so-well-meaning pundits have told those of us making a fuss over the Stupak amendment, the late-night attachment to the House healthcare reform bill that will leave virtually any woman accessing insurance through the health insurance exchange without abortion coverage. Pro-choice and progressive healthcare reform leaders and members of Congress have come out swinging against the amendment, some going as...

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[news] News That Remains News : The Buzz - Monterey County Weekly

Staff — 2009-11-19

Staying the Course…None of the semi-official results of the Nov. 3 election changed in the final tally, posted Nov. 13. Pacific Grove’s library-funding parcel tax, Measure J, fell less than 1 percent short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass. Measure G, the Carmel Valley incorporation measure, likewise stalled. [KA] Up in Smoke…The U.S. Army burned nearly 200 acres of Fort Ord land on Nov. 16, creating a huge, gray plume of smoke that drifted northwest from Seaside. The Army...

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[cover] Seaside Standoff: Inside the showdown between Seaside Police, City Hall. - Monterey County Weekly

Kera Abraham — 2009-11-19

A dozen green “I Support Seaside Police” buttons beamed a silent challenge to the city leaders who’d ousted their charismatic chief. The turnout was relatively sparse – the Aug. 26 special meeting had been called hastily, to address the unraveling scandal. But the Seaside Police Department’s staunch supporters had managed to show up with their pins, and two regulars of the public comment period gave the council a little hell for Police Chief Steve Cercone’s unexplained Aug. 10 placement on...

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[cover] Him or Me: Buildup to a showdown. - Monterey County Weekly

Kera Abraham — 2009-11-19

August 2005: Seaside City Council hires Ray Corpuz as its new city manager. Corpuz had left his job as Tacoma city manager under heavy criticism for promoting a police chief who later committed murder-suicide, and for suspected special favors from the Tacoma PD. Corpuz, who was eventually cleared on all allegations, was also lauded for redeveloping the Tacoma waterfront, which impressed city leaders eager to develop Seaside’s downtown. June 2007: With the support of the Seaside Police...

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[831] Hot Boxes: Modest little metal machines help local officials discreetly diagnose the county’s traffic needs. - Monterey County Weekly

Amanda Stein — 2009-11-19

They appear in the wee hours of the morning and are gone two days later, so unimposing few drivers notice the diminutive devices. But despite their tiny-bump-in-the-road stature, the information they provide affects some of the biggest and most divisive issues – traffic, planning and development – that the local community confronts. They are the pneumatic road tubes, tiny black rubber lines that stretch across the traffic lanes like a thin, straight black snake making its way...

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[831] Asked at Grocery Outlet in Marina. : What would your family change about you? - Monterey County Weekly

Kristin Przekurat — 2009-11-19

Follow-up: What is your most underappreciated quality? RAY SAMPAOLO | Grocery Outlet Staffer | Monterey A: Spending more leisure time with them instead of always working to pay the bills. Better Next Time: I try to help them learn from my experience. LINDA GOLDEN | Surgical Technician | Marina A: I always run late except for when I have to be at work. Nice Move: Kindness towards others is not appreciated enough and is often misunderstood. This has cost my friends in the past so I try now...

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[831] Opinion: One man’s take on his culture’s stereotypes: ¡Ask a Mexican! - Monterey County Weekly

Gustavo Arellano — 2009-11-19

Dear Mexican: Why oh why do most Mexican women cut their long, black hair after reaching the pivotal age of 40? Not only do they cut it, but they then proceed to cut it short and dye it all shades of the most unnatural hair color for Mexicans: red. My own madre is guilty of this offense and I see it on all the older women of SanTana! Why is this the case? Why do women in Mexico tend keep their long flowing hair and trencitas while women here in the States go for the Bozo look? Please help me...

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