Dear Readers,

Bicycles are good, right? But rental bikes don't belong on Carmel's narrow, tree-laden and dimly lit streets, the planning commission decided this week. Mary Schley reports.

After a tantalizing tidbit about a possible conspiracy against Mayor Steve Dallas was revealed by the city manager, two people stepped forward to say they were involved in a scuffle with Steve Dallas at Mission Ranch more than a year ago, but that it definitely wasn't part of any conspiracy. Mary Schley has that one, too.

In downtown Pacific Grove, the developer of a major downtown project withdrew his permit application after trying to accommodate demands for affordable units, only to run into opposition from a handful of neighbors. Kelly Nix has that one.

The chamber of commerce has launched a crowdfunding campaign so it can buy a robot for the visitors center. A bomb scare that turned out to be old cassettes and VHS tapes caused a brief evacuation of the library Monday morning. All the recent rain caused yet another landslide on Highway 1. In a bizarre hit-and-run, a driver was arrested after alledgedly hitting a man -- twice. And my editorial says a case now before the Supreme Court could dramatically affect property rights not only along the coast of California, but throughout the country.

As always, I invite you to send me any questions, comments or concerns about our newspaper, and to contact me if you need help making the most of it on your computer, smartphone or tablet.