This Week on the Central Coast
PGUSD plans to reopen, the County sees its busiest weekend in months, CSUMB gets a grant, and dinosaurs come to Salinas.
This week, Monterey announced it will reveal the community’s views on cannabis businesses on February 24. You can watch the special meeting at 4 PM on the city’s YouTube channel. Also, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is continuing to lend its freezers to nearby city’s to help store COVID vaccines. Last Friday, Pacific Grove held a memorial for the 313 COVID victims of Monterey County at Lover’s Point. The demonstration featured an American flag representing each person.
Pacific Grove Unified School District plans to reopen in-person classes in April.
The district unanimously approved its COVID safety plan. Next, the plan will be passed on to the health department, the office of education, the state department of health, and the C.D.C. If it is approved, board members are planning on reopening elementary schools on April 19th. Some of the main changes in PGUSD’s safety plan include “isolation rooms for students if they get sick and sending daily inspection information for parents, this way they don't send their child to school if they have any symptoms of COVID-19. There are also plans for staff on how to handle physical distancing during lunchtime, recess, and if a student needs to go to the restroom.” You can see the full COVID safety plan here.
Valentine's Day weekend was the best for the hospitality industry since the start of the pandemic.
With COVID cases declining in Monterey County, hotels and inns enjoyed an average of 82% occupancy over the holiday weekend. Moe Ammar, who is with the PG chamber of commerce, believes that the vaccine is a large part of the boost. Ammar believes that the county could be approaching closer to “normal” this summer. To do that, Monterey would have to have less than 8% COVID positivity and move into red tier.
CSUMB was awarded a $400,000 grant from Genentech .
“The funding will be a joint grant with UC Santa Cruz, enabling students from CSUMB to be a part of their research program.” Genentech is based in the bay area and was the first to make synthetic insulin and the grant will give students a great connection to the company. With students only attending classes remotely, the grant will help the College of Science to supply crucial tools to students who need them, such as iPads. This will help to greatly equalize any disparities in educational opportunities.
Dinosaurs arrive at the Salinas Sports Complex
A drive-thru event featuring over 60 different dinosaurs and mammals has started at the Salinas Sports Complex. The exhibits feature animatronics that move and make sounds. The event has been a welcome distraction for those who have been sheltering in place for about a year. The next event will be on February 24th and will cost $27. The drive takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on quickly you drive through it. For additional dates and to buy tickets, visit the Salinas Sports Complex website.
**One last note: Last week’s news roundup included an article that incorrectly stated Monterey County was shifting sixth grade to elementary school. It is only MPUSD that is making the change.**
