Good morning, Salinas.

Fifteen Salinas City Elementary School District students competed at the 2025 California Invention Convention State Competition and five received awards for projects that showed teamwork, innovative design and engineering accomplishments—featuring inventions like a humane bird-catching device, temperature-controlled footwear and an autonomous air transit concept.

The County of Monterey began soil sampling in Moss Landing on May 8 to study the battery plant fire’s effects and search for trace chemicals or metals.

Officials will release an interactive map on the county website next week—tests so far show that drinking water chemicals have stayed within normal levels.

Cal State Monterey Bay beat Chico State 12-9 in the CCAA tournament game on Thursday at Cal State Los Angeles — a three-run homer by Max Farfan helped extend their lead.

The Otters will face the winner of the CSU Dominguez Hills-San Francisco State game on Friday at 7 p.m.

Former Hartnell runner Frankie Maciel of Southern Oregon ran 5,000 meters in 14:14.98, marking the second fastest time in school history and a No. 4 national ranking in NAIA – he also holds the No. 2 mark in the 10,000-meter run while his former teammate Daniel Pantoja won a steeplechase title with a 9:20.57 finish at St. Mary’s in Kansas. All performances came last week while the athletes continue to challenge school records.

Nearly 1,000 students will compete in a Special Olympics track and field day today at Monterey Peninsula College’s Track and Field Complex.

The event—organized by the Special Olympics Northern California Schools Partnership Program—features sprints, wheelchair races, throwing and jumping contests and runs from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

California Roots Pre-Party Wine Mixer

6-9 p.m. — Rustique Wines — $20 for general admission, $15 for wine club members — Kick off the California Roots Festival with local wines, music from Rise Up, and delicious food.

Monster Truck Throwdown

2:00-3:30 p.m. — Salinas Sports Complex — Check local listings for pricing — Experience an afternoon of motorized mayhem with thrilling monster truck action.

ACP Compost Workshop & Demo Day

8 AM – 5 PM — National Steinbeck Center — Free entry — Explore innovative strategies in composting and organics recycling at this expert-led workshop.