September 9 - 15, 2011
| Dear Readers, Would you vote for a candidate for mayor who promised to ban fog? That's one of the things restaurant owner Richard Pepe is proposing as he launches his campaign for next April's municipal election. But first, he has to make himself eligible by finding a place to live inside the city limits. Mary Schley has the story. A U.S. Treasury Department study shows that millions of illegal immigrants -- including many right here in Monterey County -- are fraudulently claiming "refundable" tax credits. Kelly Nix has the troubling details. Did you listen to your mother when you were growing up? Three orphaned baby owls at the SPCA sure are listening to theirs, and with good reason. Kelly also has that one. (The picture is priceless.) Moving to Poland turned out to be the ideal way to start a film career for a well known Big Sur musician. Who knew that was even possible? Chris Counts reports. A surprising racial discrimination lawsuit has been filed against one of the most important downtown retailers ... is this just a case of a disgruntled employee looking for an easy payday? The mighty California Coastal Commission has announced a successor to the legendary and infamous Peter Douglas. A beloved Carmel realtor and civic-minded citizen is being mourned by his colleagues and friends. A famous national political figure is apparently moving to Pebble Beach after she bought a condo there last week. And my editorial lays out some of the political changes that seem to be accelerating locally and in the state. Thanks so much to those of you who voted in the Golden Pine Cones over the last two weeks. Almost 1,500 ballots were cast and are being tabulated, with the winners to be announced Sept. 23. And if you want to know which 9/11 anniversary essay you definitely should not read, be sure to visit my hot Internet links. To get this week's complete Pine Cone, please click here. If you have an informed opinion about one of our stories and would like to submit a letter to the editor, please click here. To comment on our Facebook page, click here. Of course, you can also contact me personally if you have questions, comments or concerns about this week's paper. Paul Miller, Publisher |