The Buzz 02.08.24

FREE SPEECH

In 2022, state lawmakers set out to try to solve a few problems plaguing the journalism industry. Could they use state funds (from a then-surplus) to help bolster the staff of local newsrooms, and also encourage a new generation of up-and-coming journalists to get long-term training and a liveable salary? The California Local News Fellowship was born, which pairs up to 40 early-career journalism fellows in newsrooms around the state for a period of two years; the fellowship pays most of their salary, with newsrooms kicking in a portion. The first cohort started in 2023, and the second cohort is now open for applications from prospective fellows. Monterey County Weekly is proud to be one of 38 participating newsrooms for 2024-26. The program is run by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and the application period is open until Feb. 25. (Read more or apply online at fellowships.journalism.berkeley.edu/cafellows.) Other participating outlets this year include The Sacramento Bee, Myanmar Gazette, Tahoe Daily Tribune and Open Vallejo.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I want to thank everyone who sheltered in place.” - Sheriff Tina Nieto speaking on Monday, Feb. 5, after lifting shelter-in-place orders in Pebble Beach due to high winds and storm-related hazards (see story, mcweekly.com)

GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK

GOOD:

Good news for access to life-saving tools: On Jan. 23, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors approved a policy to administer naloxone, widely known as Narcan, at Monterey County Free Libraries. All MCFL branches will have five units to use if an overdose is suspected, while awaiting medical assistance. Staff will be trained in administering the nasal spray, which reverses the effects of opioid overdose. “Public libraries are places where many of the populations who may need the medication congregate, receive services, and seek assistance,” MCFL Director Hillary Theyer noted in a report to the board. “As with other safety training and resources staged in public libraries, this contributes to robust services that have the potential to save lives.” MCFL is working on implementation and no firm date is yet set when all branches will have Narcan onsite.

GREAT:

It was a great week indeed for PGA Tour professional Wyndham Clark. On Saturday, Feb. 3 during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the 30-year-old from Denver fired a 60 on the par 72 Pebble Beach Golf Links to break both the event and course record. No other golfer in the long history of the course – not Jack Nicklaus, not Arnold Palmer, not Tiger Woods – had played Pebble Beach so well. Clark started the day 6 strokes back of the leaders in a tie for 23rd. His record round propelled him into the lead, and gave him the win when officials called the tournament after 54 holes due to weather conditions, giving him a check for $3.6 million. The previous Pro-Am mark was 62, held by three golfers. The previous course record was held by Hurly Long, who scored a 61 in 2017 as a senior at Texas Tech playing in the Carmel Cup.