Dear Readers,

With the epidemic still growing in many parts of the county, the coronavirus vaccine is the No. 1 topic on almost everyone’s minds, but at this point, there are far more questions than answers about when and where it will start to become available to the public. Kelly Nix reports. We also launch a new page one feature this week, “Vaccination Watch,” to help you keep track of who’s getting the vaccine, and who will soon be able to.

The city council answered with an emphatic “No” when it was asked to consider closing Scenic Road to cars several days a week. Mary Schley has that one.

A well known archivist of photos documenting the history of the Monterey Peninsula has died, leaving open the question of what will happen to his irreplaceable collection. Chris Counts has the details.

Cong. Jimmy Panetta has a compelling story to tell about where he was and what he did when rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol Wednesday. Because of all the shutdown orders, more and more people are asking for home mail delivery, which could bring house numbers to town. The water reclamation project in Marina received a huge cash grant from U.S. taxpayers. No cause has ever been pinned down for last summer’s big wildfire in Cachagua, though the man who confessed to starting the Big Sur fire is headed back to court. Two charities have gone to impressive lengths to help out with some very important needs during the pandemic. Two of Big Sur’s most scenic lots have been donated as condor habitat. The U.S. Forest Service may soon reopen several important hiking trails. During an online meeting Monday with officials from the Monterey County health department, Carmel business owners got none of the answers they were hoping for. A notorious murderer from more than 40 years ago will stay behind bars. The Cemex sand plant in Marina may become a park. Dennis Taylor reports that one of Carmel High’s best athletes the last few years has picked his college from at least 20 that recruited him. Neal Hotelling has the details of one of the city’s pioneering thespians’ very surprising earlier career. And my editorial says the job performance of the county health director gets worse and worse even as the public needs him more and more.

Paul Miller, Publisher
paul@carmelpinecone.com

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