Free Speech

A lawsuit filed against the federal government alleges that the Trump administration illegally withheld records related to the FBI’s seizure of a reporter’s equipment. In January, the FBI raided a Washington Post reporter’s home, as part of an investigation into a contractor charged with illegally keeping national defense materials. On March 2, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press submitted Freedom of Information Act requests to various government agencies, including the Office of the Attorney General, seeking records related to the search warrant. Those records never materialized, so the Reporters Committee filed a lawsuit on April 30 claiming the government violated the FOIA. “It’s important to push for greater transparency in understanding how the Department of Justice fought for, and ultimately received, the search warrant,” said Michael Zwirn of the Reporters Committee.

Quote of the Week

“Lots of people have good stories. It is whether you are brave enough to get on stage and share it.”

-Ellen Osborne, who serves on the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts’ board, speaking about the center’s new Porchlight Stories (see story, montereycountynow.com/entertainment).

Good Week / Great Week

Good: For 25 years, what was once a weed-choked lot in Carmel Valley has been cared for by neighbors and the Carmel Valley Garden Club, looking after the various drought-resistant plant species that brighten up the street corner. Rosie’s Garden, at the corner of Esquiline Road and Calle de los Helechos, recently got an upgrade, and the work was celebrated at a dedication ceremony on Wednesday, May 20. The garden now includes two redwood benches as well as signs describing the plants. To plan out the improvements for the garden’s 25th anniversary, a new advisory committee raised funds and recruited volunteers to carry out the project. The work was funded by neighbors as well as grants from the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, Cal Am, Carmel Valley Kiwanis and the Community Foundation for Monterey County.

GREAT: It’s a bird, it’s a plane (literally) and it’s great news for Monterey County travelers. A new, weekly, nonstop route between Monterey Regional Airport and Chicago O’Hare starts this week. United Airlines will operate the flights, on Boeing 737-800 aircraft seating 166 passengers, weekly on Saturdays. The first flight, UA #485, is scheduled to arrive at 11:29am on Saturday, May 23; the first departure from MRY to ORD is scheduled to take off at 2:06pm. “We want to build this market. We know it’s going to be a good market,” Kevin T. Willoughby, San Francisco-based corporate sales manager for United, said in October when announcing the new route. To start, the direct flights are seasonal, but United has already extended its season from the original plan (Aug. 15) to Sept. 19, It marks the point furthest east with a flight into Monterey, a geographic expansion for the regional airport.

The Weekly Tally

1,936

That’s the number of graduates that make up CSU Monterey Bay’s Class of 2026. A total of 14,514 guests RSVP’d for the commencement ceremony, held on May 16 at the Salinas Sports Complex.

Source: CSU Monterey Bay