Local News Archives

Are there any Halloween hesitations with COVID cases still looming in the Central Coast?

October 14, 2021 5:54 PM Erika Bratten

CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KION) Halloween canceled? Many feared this would be the case last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead typical…

Feast of Lanterns apologizes for cultural appropriation

October 13, 2021 6:03 PM Erika Bratten

The former Feast of Lanterns queen and board president shared a public apology and concerns about the cultural appropriation of the event.…

Judge blocks vaccine mandate for California prison guards

October 14, 2021 11:59 AM Lisa Principi, The Associated Press

A judge has blocked an order that was set to take effect this week that required California prison employees to be vaccinated against…

New Hartnell College Softball Coach carries on family legacy

October 14, 2021 12:03 PM Jonathan Sarabia

Hartnell College recruits, Salinas native, Casey Watt as the new Head Softball…

California adults will be able to enroll parents in their health insurance plan

October 14, 2021 1:36 PM Stephanie Magallon, Melody Waintal

CALIFORNIA (KION) California has become the first state to allow certain adult children to enroll their parents in its health insurance plan. The…

California Court invalidates Measure Z

October 13, 2021 11:59 AM Jonathan Sarabia

California 6th District Court of Appeals invalidates two parts of Monterey County’s Measure…

Hartnell College reveals new Soledad Education Center

October 14, 2021 12:00 PM Melody Waintal

Hartnell College is opening their new education center next Saturday in Soledad and the community is invited to the family festival with free hot…

More than half of dogs in the US are considered overweight or obese

October 14, 2021 11:00 AM Max Tarlton

Pets in general are getting more pudgy, but more specifically dogs are putting on the…

Santa Cruz County receives $3 million grant to fight homelessness

October 14, 2021 11:13 AM Melody Waintal

The County of Santa Cruz Behavioral Health received a $3 million grant to address mental health-related issues for people experiencing…

Condor that survived Dolan Fire is back in Big Sur

October 14, 2021 10:12 AM Melody Waintal

Iniko is back in the Central Coast after being taken to the Los Angeles Zoo to recover from the Dolan…

Biden addresses supply chain issues

October 13, 2021 12:02 PM Melody Waintal

USA (KION) President Joe Biden announced companies moving to 24/7 operations to address supply chain…

Watsonville High teachers push back on school resource officer decision

October 13, 2021 11:59 AM Lisa Principi

Watsonville High School teachers have expressed their concerns about the district’s decision to bring back school resource officers.…

Lawyers react to proposals to protect undocumented workers

October 13, 2021 5:49 PM Melody Waintal

COSTA CENTRAL, Calif. (KION) According to local immigration lawyers, if the deportation protection plan for undocumented people is approved, it could…

Salinas Police arrest the second suspect involved in killing 18-year-old near W. Lake Street

September 27, 2021 1:59 PM Melody Waintal

Salinas Police are near W Lake Street, west of N Main Street, responding to a reported shooting since 1 p.m. on Monday.…

Del Rey Oaks Police catch person stealing checks from ATM

October 13, 2021 12:46 PM Melody Waintal

Police arrested a suspect that has been stealing checks from ATM machines in Wells Fargo and Bank of America in Del Rey Oaks, and possibly other…

Local Ballet Folklorico group created to help keep kids off the streets

October 12, 2021 12:01 PM Stephanie Aceves

Local Folklorico group, Ballet Folklorico Aguila Real, was created with the intention of keeping children away from gang violence.…

Man arrested in Watsonville for aggravated assault

October 12, 2021 10:50 PM Sarah Rosenthal

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION) A man accused of threatening to slash a business owners throat was arrested on Tuesday. Watsonville police say they potted…

DA released date on hearing for 16-year-old involved in homicide prior to officer-involved shooting

October 5, 2021 9:15 AM Melody Waintal, Max Tarlton, Stephanie Aceves

Monterey County District Attorney’s office said they are investigating an officer-involved shooting that happened near North Main St. and Chaparral…

Semi-truck accident leaves 70,000 pounds of grapes on Highway 101

October 13, 2021 7:26 AM Carina Nocon

SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, Calif. (KION) Right now, traffic is backed up on Highway 101 northbound after a big rig turned over, spilling 70,000 pounds of…

Diaper Distribution Days for families with special needs in Monterey County

October 12, 2021 5:25 PM Melody Waintal

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) Pre-registration is currently closed for Monterey Peninsula Foundation and Special Kids Connect’s Diaper Distribution…

Santa Cruz County asks residents to register for ‘CodeRED’ to receive emergency alerts, notifications

October 12, 2021 4:02 PM Melody Waintal

Santa Cruz Regional 9-1-1 will launch a drill of the county’s alert and warning system on Oct. 21 at 10 a.m.…

Santa Cruz Chief of Police to resign

October 12, 2021 10:27 AM Melody Waintal, Lisa Principi

Santa Cruz Chief of Police Andrew Mills announced he is resigning on Oct. 29, 2021.…

Fire reported behind an elementary school in San Juan Bautista

October 11, 2021 4:27 PM Melody Waintal

Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki reported that a transformer blew up, which caused the fire near San Juan School in San Juan…

Seaside Police finds “ghost” gun near King Middle School

October 12, 2021 2:47 PM Melody Waintal

Seaside Police K9 Officer Dillon detained three underaged suspects and found one of them carrying a loaded “Ghost” gun on…

Businesses experience second day without Power

October 12, 2021 10:39 AM Jonathan Sarabia

Some PG&E customers living on the Central Coast are still experiencing a loss of power after yesterday’s planned and unplanned outages due to…

Carmel-by-the-Sea appoints new temporary Police Chief

October 12, 2021 1:52 PM Melody Waintal

Carmel-by-the-Sea City Council appointed Brian Uhler as the Interim Police Chief.…

Religious leaders will help Pacific Grove Police in crisis situations

October 12, 2021 11:17 AM Edgar Olivares, Melody Waintal

They will train local faith-based volunteers to assist both community members and police officers during times of crisis, including lockdowns or…

One victim dead, another recovering from a double shooting in Soledad

October 11, 2021 11:39 AM Melody Waintal

SOLEDAD, Calif. (KION) Soledad Police is investigating a double shooting that happened Sunday night, leaving one victim dead and another recovering…

Salinas Police arrest attempted robbery suspect

October 11, 2021 12:59 PM Melody Waintal

Salinas Police arrested a 24-year-old suspect that tried to steal from a 31-year-old woman and her 5-year-old son near 1900 Davis Road over the…

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher visits hometown in Santa Cruz County

October 11, 2021 6:14 PM Melody Waintal

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Tyler Gilbert visited his hometown over the weekend.…

Power shuts off in parts of Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara County

October 11, 2021 10:56 AM Melody Waintal

Planned shutoffs started Monday morning at 7 a.m. and are expected to last to Tuesday until 10 p.m. However, due to wind advisories, more areas might…

What to do when your power is out

October 11, 2021 3:57 PM Melody Waintal

Whether it’s a planned power shutoff or an unforeseen outage, depending on your power company, you can find out what it is.…

Monterey County works with electric company to minimize wildfire

October 11, 2021 12:04 PM Jonathan Sarabia

To minimizing wildfire risks, Pacific Gas and Electric Company is shutting off power for up to 25,000 customers in 20 counties, including Monterey…

Sanks Brothers sentenced up to 26 years in prison for 2016 Salinas Chinatown homicide

September 2, 2021 11:58 AM Victor Guzman

Two brothers believed to have been responsible for the death of 23-year-old Kareem Jamal King pleaded guilty to the crime in a Monterey County court…

Strong winds knock over a tree in San Mateo County

October 11, 2021 12:32 PM Melody Waintal

Cal Fire CZU reported three cars and a house were struck by a tree that fell over in El Granada in San Mateo County.…

One person killed in Carmel Valley rollover crash

October 8, 2021 3:23 PM Victor Guzman

Traffic is backed up at Carmel Valley and Schulte Road in Carmel Valley after a deadly three-vehicle crash in the…

Jonathan Maciel’s family mourns the loss of their 19-year-old son

October 8, 2021 2:09 PM Stephanie Magallon, Edgar Olivares, Melody Waintal

Hollister mourned the death of young Jonathan Maciel, who was the victim of homicide, in an event prior to the officer-involved shooting of a Salinas…

Man accused of setting fire at his own home, displacing four people

October 7, 2021 6:12 PM Victor Guzman

A Monterey man has been arrested after setting fire to the duplex he was living in, leaving four people…

A look at Central Coast impacts from the Orange County Oil Spill

October 7, 2021 11:12 PM Erika Bratten

Last weekend, thousands of gallons of crude oil leaked into the Pacific Ocean off the shore in Huntington Beach, which triggered California to…

Federal leaders and UFW reveal a new farmworker assistance program

October 7, 2021 11:57 AM Stephanie Magallon

Several federal and local leaders will be in Salinas and Royal Oaks on Thursday to address the new pandemic assistance program for agricultural…

Former COVID-19 patient paints gifts for nurses

October 7, 2021 12:49 PM Jonathan Sarabia

An 80-year-old Native American Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital patient survives COVID-19 and returned with a gift to thank the staff that helped…

Special Report: Staffing shortages affect Monterey County schools

October 7, 2021 10:09 AM Lisa Principi

Local schools are seeing a shortage of classified staff to keep schools running. Districts in Monterey County are actively recruiting food service…

Gilroy Police release video from officer-involved shooting

September 8, 2021 9:57 AM Victor Guzman

Gilroy Police released the footage from the officer-involved shooting that killed a man on Sept. 8.…

Hartnell College Theatre Department presents the final run of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ over the weekend

October 7, 2021 4:50 PM Melody Waintal

The Harnell College’s Western Site Theatre is showcasing the show for the last time this weekend. Get a sneak peek at how the theatre department put…

Pacific Grove Police looking for man accused of stealing checks from banks

October 7, 2021 2:27 PM Victor Guzman

The Pacific Grove Police Department confirms they’re investigating reports of deposited checks being stolen from multiple banks in the…

Second round of Golden State Stimulus checks to go out this week

October 7, 2021 1:24 PM Melody Waintal

Two-third of Californias are eligible for the Golden State Stimulus checks that are supposed to be rolling out into your bank accounts this…

Third COVID-19 death reported among vaccinated individuals in Santa Cruz County

October 4, 2021 6:53 PM Stephanie Aceves

Santa Cruz Public Health announced the death of two people due to COVID-19, both were fully vaccinated and both had underlying conditions.…

Duplex fire in Monterey leaves four people displaced

October 7, 2021 10:28 AM Melody Waintal

Two duplexes were on fire Wednesday night at the intersection of Hoffman Avenue and Belden Street in…

U.S. Department of Education makes major changes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness program

October 6, 2021 12:02 PM Stephanie Aceves

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Education announced changes to their federal student loan forgiveness program aimed at helping public service…

‘Zodiac Killer’ has allegedly been identified

October 6, 2021 4:45 PM Melody Waintal

The group claims to have found new evidence that links the killer to Poste, claiming the scar on Poste’s forehead matches the scar on the Zodiac…