Top Stories Archives

Point Lobos, Pfeiffer Big Sur among parks now closed until at least May 3rd

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve temporarily closing to the public

January 22, 2021 9:09 pm Dominoe Ibarra

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. (KION) Point Lobos State Natural Reserve will be temporarily closing to the public beginning January 25-29, 2021, for…

California Roots Festival rescheduled until May 2022

January 22, 2021 8:55 pm Dominoe Ibarra

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION) The California Roots Music & Arts Festival has been rescheduled for a second time. The festival will now take place on…

California unemployment backlog reaches highest level in months

January 22, 2021 2:59 pm Jonathan Sarabia

California’s unemployment backlog is at its highest. The Employment Development Department reported more than 900,000 claims.…

Former Salinas coach pleads no contest to rape, sexual assault charges

January 22, 2021 5:07 pm Avery Johnson

A former Salinas coach is facing more than 28 years in prison after pleading no contest to several…

Police identify man killed in stabbing on Russell Road

January 22, 2021 4:20 pm Avery Johnson

Police have released the identity of a man killed in a stabbing on Russell Road…

Central Coast residents react to potential change in vaccine plan

January 22, 2021 1:49 pm Stephanie Aceves

California state officials are strongly considering moving away from an vaccine tier system towards one that prioritizes based on age.…

Crews respond to isolated mudflow in River Fire burn area

January 22, 2021 6:09 pm Avery Johnson

The Monterey County Regional Fire Protection District said it has responded to help with…

Seaside City Council approves second testing location

January 22, 2021 12:11 am Veronica Macias

SEASIDE, Calif. (KION) On Thursday night, Seaside’s city council members voted 3-2 to approve funding for a second testing location in Seaside. The…

California reports record daily COVID-19 death toll of 764

January 22, 2021 5:32 pm The Associated Press

California reported a one-day record of 764 COVID-19 deaths on Friday but the rate of new infections is…

San Benito County expected to begin vaccinating Phase 1b

January 22, 2021 3:58 pm Avery Johnson

The San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency announced that it expects to…

Santa Cruz County prepares to move to Phase 1b of vaccine distribution

January 22, 2021 12:59 pm Avery Johnson

Santa Cruz County health officials are planning to hold a news conference at 1 p.m.…

Dominican Hospital administers 5,000th COVID-19 vaccine

January 22, 2021 12:08 pm Avery Johnson

Officials at Dominican Hospital announced that it has administered 5,000 COVID-19 vaccines to local health care…

Derick Almena pleads guilty to deaths of 36 people in ‘Ghost Ship’ fire

January 22, 2021 11:10 am The Associated Press, Avery Johnson

The master tenant of a San Francisco Bay Area warehouse where 36 people perished when a fire…

Instagram shoe sale in Salinas results in robbery, hit and run arrest

January 22, 2021 10:57 am Avery Johnson

Salinas police say a man was arrested in connection to a robbery and hit and…

Santa Cruz police investigate shooting on Seaside Street

January 22, 2021 10:40 am Avery Johnson

The Santa Cruz Police Department said it is investigating a shooting that happened in the 200 block of…

Monterey Bay Aquarium works to stay afloat while continuing to give back to community

January 21, 2021 12:33 pm Jocelyn Ortega

The Monterey Bay Aquarium once accommodated thousands of patrons every day, but due to…

Paid Summer internship program helps shape local leaders in Monterey County

January 20, 2021 5:04 pm Veronica Macias

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) The application deadline for the Bank of America Student Leaders Program which provides a paid internship at a local…

Pacific Coast Athletic League suspends high school sports schedule

January 21, 2021 8:55 pm Dominoe Ibarra

CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KION) The Pacific Coast Athletic League (PCAL) Board of Managers has suspended the formal league competition schedules in all…

Carmel Unified School District ditches reopening plans

January 21, 2021 8:20 pm Veronica Macias

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. (KION) On Wednesday night the Carmel Unified School Board gave notice that the district will not reopen on February 1, 2021…

Boulder Creek residents brace for more stormy weather

January 21, 2021 8:21 pm Josh Kristianto

BOULDER CREEK, Calif. (KION) Thousands are still without power in the Santa Cruz Mountains late Thursday night after a major wind storm knocked out…

Gonzales Unified School District hires new social worker to address mental health issues

January 21, 2021 2:51 pm Stephanie Aceves

The Gonzales Unified School District and city officials have agreed to hire an additional licensed clinical social worker in order to provide mental…

Vaccines administered to 200 Monterey County emergency workers

January 21, 2021 5:57 pm Avery Johnson

Salinas Firefighters Local 1270 said that they, along with members of the Monterey County…

Tracking future threats, conspiracies falling apart and family intervention – extremism expert speaks with KION

January 21, 2021 3:05 pm Aaron Groff

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION) Followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory were waiting for the moment. As reported by the Associated Press – they “encouraged…

Family offers reward for finding boy swept into water at Cowell Ranch State Beach

January 21, 2021 3:36 pm Avery Johnson

The family of a 12-year-old who was swept into the water at Cowell Ranch State Beach is offering…

Fauci to resume virus updates in White House

January 21, 2021 3:17 pm The Associated Press

Dr. Anthony Fauci is back in the White House briefing…

Salinas man pleads no contest to child molestation charges involving four children

January 21, 2021 2:24 pm Avery Johnson

A Salinas man, 47-year-old Rafael Becerra, has pleaded no contest to four felony charges relating to…

Marina police search for suspected package thief

January 21, 2021 11:59 am Avery Johnson

Marina police are asking residents to be on the look out for a package thief…

Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office searches for teen last seen in December

January 21, 2021 11:51 am Avery Johnson

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is asking community members for help finding a missing…

Santa Cruz County, Safeway, announce vaccine distribution partnership

January 20, 2021 3:56 pm Victor Guzman

Santa Cruz County and Safeway stores has announced a partnership which would allow local stores to assist in distributing COVID-19 vaccines to…

California lifts administration pause on Moderna Covid-19 vaccine lot

January 20, 2021 10:13 pm Dominoe Ibarra

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KION) The pause on administering the Moderna Lot 41L20A Covid-19 vaccine has been lifted by the California Department of Public…

Russell Road reopens after police investigate homicide in Salinas

January 20, 2021 1:16 pm Avery Johnson

Salinas police say they are investigating a homicide that happened on Russell…

Biden administration expected to propose sweeping immigration reform

January 20, 2021 12:10 pm Elisha Machado

President Biden is expected to unveil sweeping immigration reforms, including legislation granting legal status to eligible farm workers currently in…

Conversation with Congressman Panetta – Passing laws with Democrats at the wheel

January 20, 2021 6:45 pm Aaron Groff

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) Democrats have been at a disadvantage since Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) took office in 2016. Republicans…

Central Coast historian weighs in on significance of new presidency

January 20, 2021 12:15 pm Josh Kristianto

CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KION) Inauguration Day in America went on without a hitch in Washington on Wednesday, in the traditional ceremony marking a…

Evacuation orders lifted for two Santa Cruz County fires

January 19, 2021 10:18 am Avery Johnson

Cal Fire said two new fires have been reported in Santa Cruz County, and evacuations are…

“She has a deep appreciation for being the first” – friend of VP Harris, and campaign member, speaks with KION

January 20, 2021 5:42 pm Aaron Groff

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) “My children call her Auntie Kamala.” Eric Casher is an attorney, and former member of Obama campaign (2008 and 2012) and…

Man arrested in Watsonville attempted murder investigation

January 20, 2021 3:09 pm Victor Guzman

Watsonville Police have arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with a January 7 attempted murder…

Groups of protesters march to Calif. Capitol, no incidents reported

January 20, 2021 12:59 pm Avery Johnson

The CBS affiliate in Sacramento reports that groups of protesters are marching toward the California State…

Twitter account belonging to former Seaside mayoral candidate suspended

January 20, 2021 11:54 am Avery Johnson

A Twitter account belonging to former Seaside mayoral candidate Joseph Smith has been…

Retired Pacific Grove Police Chief dies of COVID-19

January 20, 2021 11:30 am Avery Johnson

The Pacific Grove Police Department announced that retired Chief Jon Reither died of COVID-19 at…

Watch: Presidential Inauguration of Joe Biden

January 20, 2021 6:01 am Avery Johnson

The Presidential Inauguration of Joe Biden is set to take place Wednesday morning in Washington,…

San Benito County looks for volunteers for COVID-19 mass vaccine clinics

January 20, 2021 9:55 am Avery Johnson

The San Benito County Public Health Services agency said it is working to recruit volunteers…

Biden takes the helm as president: ‘Democracy has prevailed’

January 20, 2021 9:25 am The Associated Press

Joe Biden became the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday, declaring that “democracy…

Escaped Monterey County Jail inmate turns himself in

January 18, 2021 9:10 pm Veronica Macias, Avery Johnson

Detectives are continuing to search for a homicide suspect who escaped from the Monterey County Jail…

Search suspended for juvenile swept into water at Cowell Ranch State Beach

January 18, 2021 5:10 pm Avery Johnson, Dominoe Ibarra

SAN MATEO COUNTY, Calif. (KION and KPIX) UPDATE 1/19/2021 8:57 p.m. The search has been suspended at 11:47 a.m. Tuesday morning for a juvenile washed…