Dear Readers,

Confusion reigns over when state regulators will let indoor dining, gyms, movie theaters and the like reopen in the county. But one thing’s certain — the epidemic is fading. Kelly Nix reports.

The Carmel school board has decided the middle school can reopen with “hybrid” learning but the high school should stick to remote learning for now. Mary Schley has the details.

One of the California’s few wild condors has laid an egg inside a tree that burned during last summer’s Dolan Fire. Chris Counts has that one.

Jimmy Panetta wants the DOT to free up federal money for the repair of Nacimiento-Fergusson Road. And speaking of Big Sur, Caltrans has heavy equipment working at Rat Creek to get Highway 1 open again before summer. The man accused of assaulting a woman in her driveway just off Scenic Road last May could be about to reach a plea deal with prosecutors. A tortoise has been returned to his owner despite his best attempt to make a quick getaway. The city council has reduced a homeowner’s penalty for cutting pittosporum. A judge has ordered a trial in a notorious Carmel Valley murder case. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is making plans to reopen after being closed for more than a year. The Concours d’Elegance and other events are also eyeing a return next summer. A National Labor Relations Board judge has ruled that Sunset Center illegally prevented a union member from working. Despite the shutdowns, local high school students have come up with innovative ways to fulfill their community service requirements. A large piece of jade has been stolen from a Pacific Grove front yard. Neal Hotelling explains why Stevenson House in Monterey is called that even though Robert Louis Stevenson stayed there for only three months. We have a special section for you, “In Your Dreams,” which profiles some of the Monterey Peninsula’s most interesting and historic homes. And my editorial celebrates the success of the coronavirus vaccines.

Paul Miller, Publisher
paul@carmelpinecone.com

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