The Buzz 04.04.19

WHO’S IN TOWN?

On Nov. 18, 2015, the terrorist group ISIS killed 130 people in Paris in multiple coordinated attacks. It was just one in a series of attacks that terrorized Europe and continues to haunt authorities. ProPublica Senior Reporter Sebastian Rotella reported on the terror campaign in the 2016 Frontline documentary Terror in Europe. He continues to cover terrorism and other international security issues. The award-winning journalist is in town this week as the 2019 William H. and Susanne S. Tyler Visiting Fellow in Residence at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. His public talk is titled “Crossing Borders: Reporting on Security Issues in a Globalized World.”

6-8pm, Thur April 4. McGowan Building, Middlebury Institute, 411 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. middlebury.edu/institute/events.

FREE SPEECH

The Weekly, like many newspapers, relies on the AP Stylebook for guidance on how to make our writing consistent and readable. AP Stylebook editors regularly update entries to reflect new thinking about how to cover new terms (it’s email and e-reader, if you were wondering) and also bigger topics of the day. New entries on race reflect this challenging moment in history. For example, in a March 29 update: “Do not use racially charged or similar terms as euphemisms for racist or racism when the latter terms are truly applicable… If racist is not the appropriate term, give careful thought to how best to describe the situation. Alternatives include racially divisive, racially sensitive, or in some cases, simply racial.” There’s also guidance on identifying a subject’s race, noting, for instance, that African American and black are not interchangeable. In general, AP Stylebook recommends using the identifier a subject prefers (which is the Weekly’s policy), such as Latino vs. Hispanic or black vs. African American.

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

GOOD:

It’s a good week for Monterey County tourism now that the long-awaited daily nonstop route between Dallas Fort Worth International Airportand Monterey Regional Airport is in operation. The inaugural American Airlines flight was scheduled to arrive at MRY at 10:58am on April 2, with a return flight to DFW at 12:23pm. It’s good news for Texans who regularly visit Carmel and Pebble Beach – and local shop owners and real estate agents. Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau officials believe the route will open up more than 100 connection opportunities to domestic and international destinations, benefiting other tourists coming into Monterey from around the world and Monterey County residents traveling for business and pleasure. For now the flights are only seasonal – this year the daily flights end Nov. 3. They join nonstop flights to Denver launched by United Airlines last October.

BAD:

An updated projection by the National Marine Fisheries Service found that the population of Pacific sardines continues to face collapse. The commercial sardine fishery will likely remain closed for a fifth consecutive year once that projection is reviewed by the Pacific Fishery Management Council at an April 12 meeting. At 27,547 metric tons, the estimated amount of sardines is so far below various sustainability thresholds that the Council may impose limits not only on regular commercial fishing as in past years, but also on live bait fishing and on the incidental catch of sardines in other fisheries. Environmental advocates like Oceana’s Geoff Shester say the fishery is in “shambles,” which affects not only fishermen but also the marine animals that depend on sardines. The California Wetfish Producers Association, an industry group, disputes the methodology behind the population estimate.