Good morning, Salinas.

A commemorative statue honoring Salinas native U.S. Army Ranger Specialist Ricardo Cerros, Jr (who died in Afghanistan in 2011) was unveiled at Central Park on Memorial Day, May 26.

A trailer home in Salinas was a complete loss after a fire Tuesday morning at 8:44 a.m. when six fire units arrived within three minutes + no other homes were damaged, the owner was uninjured, and investigators are probing the cause.

Two Salinas gang members (37 and 26) pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to racketeering conspiracy and are in federal custody; they face sentencing on Aug 20 with potential penalties of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Kayla Romero, a 17-year-old Salinas native, graduated from college with highest honors on May 23rd and will graduate from Salinas High School with honors tomorrow, May 29th—she is headed to Johns Hopkins University to study medicine and share her Oaxacan heritage through folkloric dance.

Monterey County Office of Education honored top teachers and classified school employees with the Teacher of the Year and Classified School Employee of the Year programs for their exceptional work with students—programs that highlight outstanding contributions in elementary, middle, high, and special education.

On Memorial Day, five new memorial signs honoring fallen Monterey County soldiers were unveiled in Salinas by the Veterans Day Parade Committee—these signs will be installed along Highway 101 later this summer to join five existing memorials.

Salinas City Council is reviewing a $1.9 million budget gap for homeless services and will soon decide if it should continue providing these programs—reports show an 18% increase in homelessness from January 2023 to January 2024 with 1,240 individuals noted, and a future shortfall of $6.5 million is expected by the 2027/2028 fiscal year.

North Salinas track star Clara Adams set a new record on Saturday (53.23 seconds in the 400-meter race) to claim a CCS title and end senior Hanna Rutherford's winning streak.

She will head to the CIF state championship on Friday as the number one seed in the 400-meter and run in the 200-meter event.

After sitting in seventh place after nine holes — Stevenson rallied on the back nine to finish second and advance to the State Golf Championships.

The Pacific Coast Athletic League announced its all-league girls lacrosse teams for the Gabilan and Mission divisions, naming MVPs Sofia Niklaus, Macey Torres and Aryel Reyes Mager along with first teams, second teams and sportsmanship awards.

The selections feature top players from local schools such as Carmel, Stevenson and Salinas.

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.