The Buzz 07.27.17

WHO’S IN TOWN?

It’s back-to-school season not just for students, but educators too. Jill Biden, former second lady who worked for 30 years as a teacher, is in town this week to deliver a keynote talk at the California Teachers Summit. The summit also includes presentations by a couple of locals. Mark Cisneros, a soccer coach and English teacher atAlisal High School, talks about boosting literacy and “cultural cognizance” for underperforming students and English language learners. Alex Hofsteen, a science teacher at the International School of Monterey who also worked for a stint as an interpreter for the National Park Service, speaks about strategies to engage students.

7am-12:30pm Friday, July 28. CSU Monterey Bay, Tanimura & Antle Library, 3054 Divarty St., Seaside. Free. (415) 851-4768, cateacherssummit.com.

FREE SPEECH

The Association of Alternative Newsmedia kicks off its annual convention in Washington, D.C. on July 27, with three days of presentations about writing great stories, protecting a free press and building interactive digital components. (There are also talks by a few dignitaries including Sen. Chuck Schumer and Washington Post reporterDavid A. Fahrenthold.) There’s also a focus on the state of the industry, which is, in short, turbulent. Oakland’s alt weekly, East Bay Express, was sold July 19 to Telegraph Media, an Oakland publishing company that laid off the publisher and editor. In April, Lee Enterprises – which owns 46 dailies and is based in Iowa – bought The Missoula Independent (which was founded in 1991 by Weekly Publisher Erik Cushman). Three years after the Baltimore Sun Media Group acquired the Baltimore City Paper, executives announced plans in June to close the weekly some time this year, after 40 years in business. Meanwhile, the Monterey County Weekly is doing well, Cushman says: “We’re good, and we’re lucky. We’re lucky that we’re a relatively small market that’s got a lot of economic activity.”

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

Good:

It’s a good week for Seaside and outdoor education: On July 17, city officials announced they’d received a $150,000 grant from the American Water Charitable Foundation – the philanthropic arm of California American Water’s parent company – to build an ADA-accessible outdoor classroom and nature-themed playground atRoberts Lake. The project is in partnership with the nonprofit Sustainable Seaside, which will help advise the city on developing a curriculum that will include topics like ecology, water conservation and water quality. No date has been set for when construction will begin – the city still needs to a hire a firm to design and build the park – but it is expected to be complete by July 30, 2018, the deadline in the grant.

Bad:

There was a sad twist for employees of Drake Transportation in Salinas, who are accustomed to the grisly work of removing human remains from crime scenes and accidents, and transporting bodies to the Monterey County Coroner’s Office. On July 17, they were called to the home of their boss, Robert Drake, who they found on his couch after he died unexpectedly at age 62. The Sheriff’s Office has a contract that runs through 2019 with Drake Transportation, and will look to open up the bidding process a few years early. “I’m trying to find a new company,” Sgt. Daniel Karamitis says.