Dear Readers,

The first public meeting on proposed changes to Mid-Valley Center may have been something right out of the WWF, but the second one was much more civilized. Chris Counts reports.

The city council decided to put the issue of a complete ban on wood beach fires off for awhile after realizing a quick decision would be tied up by the coastal commission anyway. Mary Schley has that one.

After a long wait, the installation of surveillance cameras at the entrance to town has begun. Mary Schley has the details on that story, too.

An increase in the city’s sales tax is on the horizon. The council will commission a study of the potential effects of climate change on the beach and the rest of the village. A transient has been arrested for burglarizing two restaurants. The Mill Fire in Big Sur is 95 percent contained, which firefighters say is practically the same thing as being out. The president of the P.G. chamber of commerce is the first to buy some of the city’s “surplus” water. A Monterey restaurant has settled a lawsuit alleging it violated laws on asbestos removal. Dennis Taylor profiles an athlete from Stevenson School who’s finding success in college at a very difficult sport. Car Week begins immediately, and we have an impressive special section full of features and highlights of the upcoming events — plus our “can’t miss” calendar that’s your complete checklist for everything to do. And my editorial asks the question, “Which time in history was the perfect time?”