Aric Sleeper here, thinking about one of the great powers of local journalism: confirming or dispelling rumors floating around the community.
Sometimes I’ll hear a rumor from a friend or neighbor or coworker, or notice something while I’m out and about town that makes me curious, such as the abandoned home of Fabrice Rondia that sits along the Rec Trail near Cannery Row, and I am compelled to look into it.
Weekly Digital Producer Sloan Campi’s latest story about the Bulldog Sports Pub on Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey came about in such a manner. He first saw posts on social media asserting that the pub had closed, alongside hearing whispers about it from those who have frequented the establishment over the years.
From there, Campi’s interest was piqued. He began reaching out to the bar’s owners, only to hit a wall when he didn’t hear back—at first. After days of showing up and calling, trying to get a hold of someone who would know why the longtime Monterey staple would be closed, with its sign taken down and paper covering the windows—especially after it underwent an expensive remodel roughly four years ago—he finally heard back from one of the bar’s business partners.
This is my favorite part: when the rumors, and my own swirling theories about a situation, make way for the truth. In this case, Campi spoke with business partner Ash Shoukru, who told him that the Bulldog’s lease is under one of the co-owners’ names, but the business itself is incorporated under the name of another co-owner, who died in 2023. Because a probate case was never filed by the deceased co-owner’s lawyers, it puts the business in limbo and makes the Bulldog’s future uncertain.
I have found through my own reporting that this is often the case: The truth is even stranger than the fictions concocted by rumor mills, either on social media, in real life or made up in my own mind before I start reporting.
Although hyperlocal stories like these may not make national headlines, they are an essential part of community journalism and investigating them is a process my fellow Weekly colleagues and I find deeply rewarding.
Take a moment to read Campi’s story here.