FREE SPEECH
It’s no secret President Donald Trump hates news coverage that doesn’t gush over his administration, so on Sept. 18, he announced a ban on three organizations from entering the White House: CNN, MS NOW and Politico. Reporters from the news outlets had their press badges revoked by the Secret Service the day after. On Monday, Sept. 21, the outlets filed a lawsuit in federal court, calling the ban not only a “direct assault on the First Amendment,” but also a “blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles.” “Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting,” the outlets said in a statement. “Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.” Major TV networks ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC announced they would suspend pooled coverage of the White House in solidarity. Trump has tried to restrict press coverage of the White House multiple times during his second term, which have been overturned by the courts.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Art has just been a great icebreaker.” - Texas artist Brian Keeper on his preferred approach to painting on location. An exhibit of his work is now open in Carmel (see story, montereycountynow.com/entertainment)
GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK
GOOD:
Called the “bike lane to nowhere” by some locals and officially a Class IV bike lane by transportation planners, the separated bike lanes in the middle of North Fremont Street may soon be connected to the county’s broader biking infrastructure after the City of Monterey locked down approximately $2.9 million in grants from the Transportation Agency for Monterey County’s Regional Surface Transportation Program to support the construction of the North Fremont Gap Closure Project. The project would close the bike lane gap between Casanova Avenue and Canyon Del Rey Boulevard and connect to the Fort Ord Regional Trail and Greenway. The project, which is currently at roughly 90-percent design, has a total cost of about $3.65 million. City officials will seek community feedback in the coming months and hope to have a final project design within the next six to 12 months.
GREAT:
After a nearly 20-year hiatus, Delta Air Lines is returning to Monterey Regional Airport with new nonstop flights to Los Angeles International Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport later this year, airport officials announced Sept. 18. “Welcoming Delta Air Lines to Monterey Regional Airport is a major achievement for our community and reflects the growing demand for air service in the Monterey Bay region,” Monterey Regional Airport Executive Director Chris Morello said. Beginning Dec. 19, Delta will launch its twice-daily nonstop flights to LAX and one daily nonstop flight to SLC. According to a Delta spokesperson, “The new flights come as Delta expands its position at LAX ahead of summer 2027, when the airline and its partners will offer more than 200 daily departures from Los Angeles, creating the largest and most premium operation in Delta’s LAX history.”