The Buzz 12.03.15

WHO’S IN TOWN?

As geopolitical turmoil shakes the world, it requires discipline to pause and remember history. But it’s worth doing, and the Monterey Bay chapter of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, Monterey Peninsula Council of the Navy League and Monterey Bay Commandery of the Naval Order do so this week with a Pearl Harbor remembrance dinner. Speakers include George Duchak, director of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Silicon Valley Defense Innovation Unit, who talks about defense innovation and what’s changed since the 1941 attack. The Navy Center for Information Dominance Monterey Choir provides a patriotic soundtrack.

6-10pm Friday Dec. 4. Hermann Hall, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey. $30/active duty E1-E5; $50/active duty E6-O3; $60/all others. 657-9793, www.nps.edu.

WHAT’S UP WITH THAT

A reader wonders what the story is with the orange netting on the median along Highway 1 northbound in Marina. Caltrans officials report it marks the northerly end of a pavement preservation project, stretching 8 miles from Monterey at Sloat Avenue on the south end. The project is called CAP-M. Repaving happens every 10-15 years.

Email whatsupwiththat@mcweekly.com.

OVERHEARD

“I made a lot of mistakes this year.”

“Well you are only 6 years old.”

— A boy explains his plight to Santa at the Maya Cinemas Kids’ Zone before the Holiday Parade of Lights in Salinas.

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

Good: It was a good week for student journalists in the Monterey Bay. CSU Monterey Bay’s student-run newspaper, Otter Realm, won first place in the California College Media Association’s annual Excellence in Student Media Awards for its special spring edition, Otter Romp. The issue featured investigative reporting, including a piece on how CSU newspapers feel pressured to self-censor by school administrators. Otter Romp advisor Sam Robinson says earning first place was “fantastic, especially considering it was the work of just four student journalists.” Along with that top-tier recognition, the newspaper also hauled in eight prestigious awards in categories including Best Breaking News Story, Best Newspaper and Best Photo Illustration. Eight awards in a single year is an all-time record for the newspaper.

Bad: A claim filed against Monterey County Nov. 6 tells a sad, tragic story, and one that could cost the county dearly: During the June 6 Spartan Race at Toro Park, Reno resident James Chapman dove headfirst into a muddy pool he thought was deep enough for diving. It wasn’t, and when his head hit the bottom, Chapman sustained injuries that left him paralyzed. According to the claim, he now requires around-the-clock care and moves around in an electric wheelchair he controls with his mouth. Chapman is seeking $25 million toward “medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages and lost quality of life.” Chapman’s attorney Ryan McBride argues that the county had a duty “to make the terrain reasonably safe and to warn of unsafe conditions.” If the claim is denied, the case will then head to Monterey County Superior Court.