Good morning, Salinas.

Closter Park in Salinas has reopened after nearly $10M in renovations added a playground, gazebo picnic area, outdoor kitchen, barbecue, and amphitheater-style seating (features that offer a refreshed space for community gatherings).

Laura Williamson, who has led KSBW-TV since 2020, will retire at year-end — marking the end of a career filled with awards and community service — while her successor will be named later.

Diesel prices reached a record ( $5.85 per gallon) today amid supply disruptions from the Iran conflict, and rising costs may soon affect local grocery prices in Salinas.

Monterey County educators held a news conference (Sept.

2) at the Monterey County Office of Education urging families to claim CalKIDS scholarships as $28 million remains unclaimed for around 69,000 students. A required financial literacy course will start next school year for high school students, teaching banking, budgeting, and investing basics.

Warming ocean temperatures are causing common murres to wash up on Santa Cruz beaches, leaving the birds weak and hungry.

Native Animal Rescue + International Bird Rescue are feeding and caring for them so they can return to the wild once they recover.

Salinas Valley Recycles partnered with the Mattress Recycling Council to turn old mattresses into items such as insulation and carpet padding—helping to save valuable landfill space.

The Bye Bye Mattress program now accepts mattresses for free at centers on Madison Lane and other locations.

The 67-acre Ensen Park restoration area in the Carr Lake basin in Salinas has turned former farmland into native wetlands and grasslands for public use, and it will evolve over time as thousands of native plants and trees mature — already featuring new trails, bridges, and roosting boxes for birds.

The Plaskett fire near Big Sur nears 30,000 acres and has led to road closures along Highway 1 today.

Federal officials plan to repeal the roadless rule — a change critics warn could heighten wildfire risk.

New research in Science shows that human-caused warming is enhancing a strong El Niño, creating record warm waters along the California coast and near Salinas, which could bring flooding and heavy rain from November through March.

Experts urge residents to secure property + stock emergency supplies.

Firefighters reported progress on the Timber Fire in the Big Sur region yesterday — now 23% contained with evacuation orders eased and a section of Highway 1 reopened — while the Plaskett Fire burned over 29,000 acres with only 1% containment, keeping parts of the highway closed today.

The FDA announced a nationwide recall of Epinephrine Injection lots with cracked vials and particulate matter, prompting American Regent to notify distributors and arrange returns—local providers should review their inventory and advise patients who use the injection.