October 14 - 20, 2011
| Dear Readers, The plan to turn a former hospital site just outside the city limits into 46 condos has long been met with almost unanimous opposition by neighbors. And this week it also got a unanimous rejection from the board of supervisors. While the neighbors' opposition was an obstacle to the plan, the supervisors' vote kills it — for now. Chris Counts reports. A big fire destroyed housing for 50 Esalen employees in a remote part of Big Sur last weekend. Firefighters had to drain a swimming pool to fight it. Chris also has that one. On the heels of its decision to merge Carmel's fire department with Monterey's, the city council also embarked on a study to see how Carmel P.D. could share some officers and law enforcement functions with Pacific Grove. Mary Schley has the details. Federal wildlife and water officials say that henceforth they'll have the last word whether to bulldoze the Carmel River Lagoon sandbar each winter. Will this increase the danger of flooding? An elderly woman who funds a lot of research into Monarch butterflies wants to be able to release farmed ones in her yard from time to time, but butterfly purists object. Three seats on the Carmel school board are being hotly contested leading up to the Nov. 8 election. A local nursing home has been sued for neglecting one of its patients, allegedly leading to her death. A fast food restaurant is responsible for a customer's injuries in a fight and should pay up, according to him. My editorial says it's the substance, not the sizzle, that matters in local fire and police mergers. And if you want to know what was missing in another local news outlet's story about how schools measure the progress of "English learners," 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 |