Dear Readers,

Monterey County is facing fines and penalties for failing to disclose the salaries of its employees, as required by state anti-corruption laws. Kelly Nix reports.

If the people who live in Carmel Valley want to protect themselves from wildfires, the way to do it is to have more fires. That's what a group of retired firefights says. Chris Counts has the details.

In one of those "making a mountain out of a mole hill" stories, two Carmel neighbors are locked in a titanic struggle over a 9-inch difference in the location of their property line. Mary Schley has a blow-by-blow account.

There's been another brazen robbery of the Apple store at Del Monte Center. A meeting over a PG&E pipeline project that could tie up traffic in town this summer drew little public interest. A plan for string lights around the patio at a downtown hotel was derided at the planning commission. A large downtown property has been proposed for much greater density and more development. Cops arrested a Dolores Street resident last week for being drunk in public ... a resident who is a 74-year-old woman. Two homeowners say P.G.'s rules limiting short-term rentals are unconstitutional. The SPCA says it needs help with 200 kittens. And my editorial explains why the long-foretold worldwide overpopulation disaster not only never happened, it never will.

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.