The Weekly Buzz 02.18.16

WHO’S IN TOWN?

There are far more farm personnel than you can see working in Salinas Valley fields, with food safety experts, regulatory compliance officers and pest control advisers all whirring in the background. More than 1,000 such ag industry folks convene for the annual AgSafe conference this week, for bilingual classes on Obamacare compliance, immigration visas and safe disposal of old farm equipment. Speakers include California Department of Pesticide Regulation Director Brian Leahy and Department of Industrial Relations Director Christine Baker, who will present on forthcoming regulations.

Feb. 23-26. Hyatt, 1 Old Golf Course Road, Monterey. $860/AgSafe members; $1,070/non-members. (209) 526-4400, www.agsafe.org.

WHAT’S UP WITH THAT

A reader asks why people honk in the tunnel under Custom House Plaza that connects Old and New Monterey. Assistant City Manager Hans Uslar offered a variety of theories, in typical good humor and style, including “because they forgot to hold their breath to make a wish,” “to wake up their mother-in-law sleeping in the back seat,” “because they finally are in ‘America’s Happiest Seaside Town’” and, finally, “because they remember that we once had a sign in front of the tunnel prohibiting honking – which in return increased honking by 275 percent.”

OVERHEARD

“Look at all the chickens!”
- A little boy speaking to a group of grown-ups while pointing at a flock of seagulls over Cannery Row.

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

GOOD: It was a good week for about 80 Monterey County kids who got much-needed dental care last week – at no charge. The Migrant Education Program of the Monterey County Office of Education selected the group of disadvantaged kids, ages 6 to 15, who checked in on Feb. 11 and 12 to receive dental services ranging from routine cleanings and fluoride treatments to sealants, tooth restorations, root canals, crowns – even extractions, when the crack team of volunteer dentists found them necessary. Some of the patients also received referrals for follow-up care at clinics. The children were seen by local volunteer dentists and their assistants inside a 48-foot mobile dental clinic at the Twin Creeks Golf Course in Salinas, and all services were free to the patients thanks to a partnership with the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. It’s estimated that the dentistry services offered during the two-day clinic cost between $50,000 and $60,000.

BAD: National chains have long been gobbling up independent, locally owned business, from cafes to music stores. Over the past couple of weeks, Ordway Drug & Medical Supply transitioned to Rite Aid, which bought out the downtown Monterey pharmacy. Ordway promises to keep not only its name (despite Rite Aid signage inside), but also to continue offering the same services it always has, like home delivery for prescriptions and drug compounding, or mixing of multiple drugs to tailor meds to a particular patient. But another – bigger – pending acquisition threatens to buy out Ordway/Rite Aid again, and maybe even shut it down: In October,Walgreens announced plans to buy competitor Rite Aid for $9.4 billion. The Federal Trade Commission is poking around based on antitrust concerns, but Walgreens still projects the deal will close later this year. Only hitch: The buyout might mean closing thousands of existing pharmacies.