With its operations budget reduced by millions of dollars, Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) is being forced to make cuts. More than a dozen bus routes are slated for frequency reductions and one will be eliminated. The proposed changes will start later this year, leaving public transit riders with less options and more waiting. Senior Monterey County residents, who ride for half price, will be among those affected by pending transit route cuts.
Chicago, Boston, Detroit, Memphis are cities that dwarf Salinas in almost every measure – except high levels of crime and violence. When the Summit on Preventing Youth Violence took place in Washington D.C. in April, Salinas was one of six cities with officials in attendance. The summit aimed to develop a multi-faceted approach to dealing with violence in America’s most crime-ridden communities.
There’s a new group in the homeless community, the economic homeless—people without a home because of the economic climate and resulting job shortages. As a result, the homeless population could continue to grow if prevention and intervention efforts are not steadfastly stepped up.
Leafy green vegetables, Brussels sprouts, beets and leeks aren’t typically the kinds of foods available at food banks. Fresh foods are hard to salvage for people in need, even though perfectly edible produce that doesn’t meet grocery store standards is often left to rot in the fields. But a Salinas organization, Ag Against Hunger, has developed some innovative methods for distributing fresh produce to food banks.