The Weekly Tally 03.30.17

FREE SPEECH

A jury in San Luis Obispo County reached a verdict in a libel case against Cal Coast News March 16, ordering the online publication to pay $1.1 million in damages. At issue was a 2012 story accusing Charles Tenborg, former president of waste management company Eco Solutions, of illegally winning a no-bid contract from the SLO Integrated Waste Management Authority. Tenborg’s attorney claimed that as a result of the damning story, he was forced to sell his business for $1.3 million – $1.1 million below its value. CCN co-founder Karen Velie claimed notes had been lost due to computer problems, and that two unnamed sources had died. She adds via email they were out-lawyered: “Tenborg had the money to purchase top attorneys, while several volunteers on CCN’s behalf did not even file a trial brief.” CCN is considering an appeal.

WHO’S IN TOWN?

Gerber Baby Food famously changed its product labels in Ethiopia, showing a picture of the main ingredient instead of its classic baby face, after realizing shoppers there expect to see images of ingredients. It’s an example of one of the fastest-growing industries, localization – the process of not just translating words, but also culturally adapting products or content. This week the Middlebury Institute of International Studies hosts “The Future of Localization Training: Keeping Pace With an Evolving Industry.” The two-day symposium focuses on how localization professionals and educators can keep up with fast-paced trends.

Sat-Sun April 1-2. Middlebury Institute of International Studies, 499 Pierce St., Monterey. $85-$225. 647-4100, miis.edu.

WHAT’S UP WITH THAT

A reader asked what was up with the brush-clearing activity on the east side of General Jim Moore Boulevard where it meets Hilby Avenue in Seaside. Stan Cook of the Fort Ord Reuse Authority reports it is related to munitions cleanup and assessment; geotechnical crews are operating equipment that sends out magnetic fields into the ground, and brush must be cut back to complete the work.

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

GOOD:

For high school seniors who aren’t on the fast track to a four-year college, alternate routes to higher education are strewn with tests and enrollment deadlines.Monterey Peninsula College is bridging that gap by bringing the placement tests to around 480 students in local high schools. In the past, students who wanted to enroll in MPC courses would have to go to the campus on a designated testing day. But from now through April 12, MPC is sending out proctors to oversee tests in English, math and ESL at the high schools, lowering one barrier to taking – and passing – qualifying tests. MPC Superintendent/President Walter Tribley said in a statement that the opportunity would give seniors “the advantage of considering every option available to continue their educational journey.”

BAD:

It’s been a bad winter for local roads, and the estimated cost to repair county roads – assuming there is no further damage – is starting to crystallize. Gerry Malais, director of the county Office of Emergency Services, puts the current number at $55 million. With a combination of federal and state assistance, Malais says the county could be reimbursed about 90 percent of the cost of repairs. In order for Monterey County to qualify for aid from the latest series of storms, which caused an estimated $31 million in damages to county roads, the federal government must first declare the storms a disaster. And while much attention has been paid to damage on Highway 1, Palo Colorado and Nacimiento-Fergusson roads in Big Sur, the city of Salinas has also been hit with upwards of $1.5 million in storm-related damages.

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