The Pebble Beach men who claimed a fortune in art was stolen from their rental house two years ago only to be met with disbelief by law enforcement and the public have been dealt another serious setback when their insurance company denied their claim and accused them of committing fraud. Now the men have sued Farmer's Insurance, seeking more than $2 million. Kelly Nix has the story.

The county sheriff is adamant that allegations he interfered with the arrest of his son on drug charges last week are meritless, and he's asking the California Attorney General to help him prove it. Mary Schley (formerly Brownfield ... she's going back to her maiden name) reports.

Remember those weird nights a couple of years ago when your home was sprayed with pheromones by low-flying aircraft in an overnight attempt to stop the light brown apple moth from reproducing? Well, state ag officials have a new strategy to combat the little pests, and it involves stingerless wasps. Kelly Nix also has that one.

The First Tee Open comes to Pebble Beach this weekend, with its stellar assortment of professional and amateur players, and the charity event got off to an amazing start Monday when one of the competitors -- Boston Bruins owner Jerry Jacobs -- brought the Stanley Cup to town. We have two reports.

Thanks to some energetic, selfless volunteers, a Big Sur home lost to the Basin Complex fire two years ago was rebuilt in just a matter of days. A man who drowned in the Carmel River Saturday probably lost his life because he was drunk, the county coroner says. Despite serious allegations of a conflict of interest by one of its major proponents, the regional water project should be built without any delay, according to one local water agency. The homeless population on the Monterey Peninsula is increasing, according to an informal survey. And my editorial takes a look at the phenomenal success of a new border fence between San Diego and Tijuana.

To get this week's complete Pine Cone, please click here. If you have an opinion about one of our stories and would like to submit a letter to the editor, please click here. Of course, you shouldn't hesitate to contact me personally if you have questions, comments or concerns about this week's paper. And if you want to know the difference between a court saying something is allowed by the Constitution and saying it's required, be sure to check out my hot Internet links.

Paul Miller, Publisher
paul@carmelpinecone.com

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