Mercy, a young pit bull mix, came to Hitchcock Road Animal Services in Salinas last fall with eight puppies, just 2 days old, in tow. Mercy was emaciated, her ribs sticking out from beneath her skin. She could barely keep up nursing eight hungry mouths.

Some races begin with jittery runners awaiting the sound of an official’s gun as their toes edge up against the starting line. The Dewey Backyard Ultra begins entirely differently. People mingle and chat in a driveway and front lawn, then line up (roughly) with a mailbox representing the sta…

There are the obvious draws for the 4.5 million visitors coming to Monterey County each year: the Monterey Bay Aquarium, beaches, remarkable vistas, outdoor sports, art, music and world-class events. Now, See Monterey, the county’s convention and visitor’s bureau, is capitalizing on another …

Lupita Arroyo and Andrea Sanchez hover over a laptop inside a room at One Main Street in downtown Salinas on a recent Thursday afternoon, deep in troubleshooting mode.

The phrase “culture shock” applies to unfamiliarities both large and small, curious and aggravating. For Santa Catalina School junior Marina Hurtado, however, these all add up to learning opportunities – and not just for herself.