The Buzz 02.20.25

FREE SPEECH

What’s in a name? It depends who is doing the naming, and how much power they wield. In this case, we’re talking about the Gulf of Mexico, an international body of water for which President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of America. (The gulf shares borders with Mexico and the U.S.) How should reporters refer to this geographic feature? According to the Associated Press Stylebook (which the Weekly follows), “The Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years. Refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen.” In retaliation, Trump blocked two AP reporters from covering White House events on Feb. 11. In a Feb. 12 letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, AP Executive Editor Julie Pace wrote, “The actions taken by the White House were plainly intended to punish the AP for the content of its speech.” Eugene Daniels, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, said, “This is a textbook violation of not only the First Amendment, but the president’s own executive order on freedom of speech and ending federal censorship.”

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Many in the disability community feel like we have front-row seats to the chaos.” - Lori Long, speaking on her lobbying efforts to update a Social Security regulation on marriage. A reintroduced bill would allow disabled people to continue receiving benefits if they marry a non-disabled person (see story, montereycountynow.com)

GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK

GOOD:

How about a coffee in the AOA Memory Café @ The Hub? Alliance on Aging presents a new community space to support individuals experiencing memory loss and their caregivers. The Hub is located at the back of the AOA office in Salinas. The cafe aims to provide a warm environment to foster meaningful connections, offer resources and encourage participation in activities, according to AOA. Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy healthy food and beverages, participate in such activities as “chair yoga,” healthy cooking demonstrations, art, music and games. A grand opening event will take place 10am-noon on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 236 Monterey St., Salinas. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature guest speakers as well as informational brochures on dementia-related topics and memory care resources.

GREAT:

It was a great week for baseball fans as the Pecos League has reached the on-deck circle. On Wednesday, Feb. 12 the Monterey Parks and Recreation Commission voted unanimously to approve the return of the Monterey Amberjacks for the 2025 season. The proposal now moves to the City Council for a final decision. If approved, the team would play home games on weekends at Sollecito Ballpark in Monterey from May through July, with the home opener scheduled for May 25 against the San Rafael Pacifics. The Amberjacks called Monterey home from 2017-2023, with a one-year break due to Covid. After the previous contract expired, the city and the independent minor league could not come to terms for 2024, with negotiations stalling over insurance and security issues. These have reportedly been resolved. The current proposal is for a one-year contract, with a multi-year agreement possible afterward.