Q: When Will They Start Working on Salinas Road Overpass?
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A: Caltrans selected a contractor for this project, DeSilva Gates, on October 7th. There is some final paperwork waiting for approval before things move forward.
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Q: Where Does The Speed Limit Begin?
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A: Where does the speed limit actually change, at the sign or when you see the sign? CHP said the speed limit, whether it is 25 mph or 45 mph, changes at the sign. That's when a driver needs to speed up or slow down.
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Q: Can Weather Affect The Amount Of Noise?
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A: Let's look at the area south of Highway 1. During much of the Spring, Summer and Fall, your winds generally come out of the south or southwest, off the Monterey Bay and the freeway then is down wind from you. Thus the sound waves move more to the North side of highway 1.
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Q: What New Business Is Moving Into The Old Safeway?
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A: A new state-of-the-art gym will take over the deserted Safeway property at 2370 N. Fremont Blvd in Monterey and breathe life into a neighborhood and a building that's been vacant the last two years. The lease was taken over by In-Shape Health Clubs. In-Shape is a California-based company with 30 health clubs in the state.
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Q: What is the Orange Netting on Highway 1 in Marina?
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A: The orange netting is part of a $1.3 million guardrail improvement project funded by the Federal Stimulus Package. The project stretches about 20 miles.
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Q: Illegal Immigrants Standing in Carmel Valley Village?
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A: A viewer has taken issue with the so-called latino laborers that stand in Carmel Valley Village looking for work.
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Q: Why Are We Paying For H1N1 Vaccines?
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A: A health department official said the vaccine itself is free. It was paid for by the government. But here's the hang up. Most of the H1N1 flu vaccinations are being handed out through private doctors who charge a small fee. That fee covers the cost of administering the vaccine
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Q: Is Wal-Mart Coming To Soledad?
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A: The controversy and heated debate once surrounded Wal-Mart, but it has stalled out. The economy is partly to blame. The city said the property owner and the developer are still in talks at this point. CreekBridge has applied to the city for the proper permits, but there's been no further progress on the Environmental Impact Report.
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Q: Why Are There No Crosswalks Near A Marina School?
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A: The City of Marina is actually one step closer to getting those crosswalks. The Marina Community Development Department said they finally received a California Transportation Enhancement Grant of $221,000 to pay for crosswalk construction. If the council approves the project, construction begins in March.
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Will I get spam from the sites where I shop online?
I buy a lot of things online. Will I get spam from the sites where I shop?
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Q: Fighting Police Related Hospital Bills
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A: Our question came from a mother in Carmel Valley. She wrote in saying the Salinas Police Department arrested her son, tasered him and took him to Natividad Hospital for treatment.
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Q: H1N1 Vaccination Locations on Weekends
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A: H1N1 vaccinations have arrived on the Central Coast and are being administered to the high risk patients on a limited basis.
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Q: Why Has Our Tax Rate Doubled In The Alisal USD?
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A: AUSD residents are paying more because of a voter approved bond measure from two years ago and the economy. In 2006, voters approved a multi-million dollar bond measure for school renovations. Also, assessed property values collapsed, there was less tax base, so the rate had to increase.
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Q: What's Up With The Fog Line In The Bay?
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We're talking about that band of fog that appears near the middle of Monterey Bay. It could be one of two things. The first thing that comes to mind, if it is clear, would be the atmospheric optics that the low inversion creates.
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Q: Can Rain Halt Our Fire Season?
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A: It's becoming more clear that the so-called fire season is a year-round event. Salinas Fire Chief Kim Raddatz says recent rainfall was not enough to end our season.
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Q: Why Aren't Banks Accepting IOUS?
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A: In our KION Email bag, we have several questions regarding the State issued IOU's. First and foremost, any IOU is no longer earning interest. The State urges warrant holders to turn them in!
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Q: Where Are the Full Service Stations?
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A: Full service gas stations are hard to come by on the Monterey Peninsula. The first one we located was in Carmel, at the Lemos 76 Station @ 544 Carmel Rancho Boulevard.
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Q: Is The Steinbeck House Still For Sale?
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A: The Pacific Grove home, where author John Steinbeck's mother and grandmother lived, was put on the market last year and it sold several months later for about $472,000.
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Q: How Can The State Own Religious Missions?
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A: State park officials said there are 21 missions in California and of those 19 are still owned by the Catholic Church. Only two of the missions are owned by California State Parks. Those two missions are more like museums now, providing an educational and historical experience.
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Q: How Many Flu Shots Do I Need?
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A: The Monterey County Health Department said adults need only one shot for both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 flu. For kids less than nine years old, who have never had the flu before, need two seasonal flu shots.
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Q: When Courts Close, What happens To The Bailiffs?
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A: The Monterey County Sheriff's Office said these court closures have been a win, win situation for them since they are short staffed and facing tough financial times. When the courts are closed, the department said they re-deploy the bailiffs to fill in on jail vacancies.
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Q: Drivers Beware: Do You Need Two License Plates?
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A: CHP said every driver is required to display a license plate on the front and back of their car, mounted properly and not placed in the window. Even if you buy a car without a license plate on the front, you are still required to put one there. Plastic license plate covers are also illegal.
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Q: Is There An Altitude Limit For Helicopters?
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A: There are altitude restrictions for helicopters, but the rules vary for different situations. The FAA has two sets of rules in place. We caught up with a CalStar pilot who said medical helicopters with no patient must fly at least 300 ft. the air over congested areas.
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Q: Is The Proton Smasher Dangerous?
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A: The Large Hadron Collider, also known as LHC, is a machine that will send two beams of particles crashing into each other at close to the speed of light. The LHC can achieve an energy that no other particle accelerators have reached before, but experts say this kind of thing already happens in nature!
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Q: Will Measure K Restore Salinas?
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A: It's not that simple. The city said they had to negotiate with every employee union in order to help close up a multi-million dollar budget deficit. Those negotiations are part of a contract agreement that lasts through July 1st of 2011.
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Q: What Happened to Demolished Homes?
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A: Over the past two years, Cal-trans confirms that about eight homes have been demolished in the area of Moro Road, near Prunedale. The work is part of the Prunedale Improvement Project to make Highway
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Q: Why Are There Shark Teeth Fossils In Scotts Valley?
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A: Many of the shark teeth fossils found date back eight to 10 million years ago. A paleontologist with UC Santa Cruz said the shark teeth were most likely left behind from the Santa Margarita Formation.
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Q: What Are Those Solar Panels Along Hwy 101?
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A: You've probably seen them while driving up and down Highway 101 between Gilroy and San Jose. Dozens of long, white poles with square solar panels attached. They are traffic monitoring devices put there by Caltrans to count cars.
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Q: What Happens to Money Collected From CRV Fees?
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A: CRV stands for California Redemption Value. The small fee doesn't go to the store. It goes to the state. It is a small deposit paid on purchases of certain recyclable beverage containers.
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Q: How Will The State Court Closures Save Money?
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A: The state hopes to save $94 million by closing the courts one day a month, but that depends on how many people actually cooperate. It's up to each individual court to tell their employees to take that day off without pay, so it could vary from district to district.
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What does 'certified organic' really mean?
Understanding the history of how organic foods came to be, what the main organic regulations entail and the impact organic foods are having on food production can help to sort out what the USDA "certified organic" label really means.
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Q: What Happens To The Chopped Wood On HWY 68?
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A: It all began with that Eucalyptus tree that toppled across Hwy 68 nearly killing a driver during an April storm this year. After chopping down more of the unstable trees, piles of wood were left over, which BLM said they sell.
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Q: Where Are All The Monterey Geese?
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A: These birds are Canada Geese, and their numbers are, in fact, fluctuating. Fish and Game wildlife biologist Terry Palmisano said while most birds migrate south in the fall, a lot of these geese stick around. You might notice less of them on some days because they move around to the other golf courses and parks on the Peninsula .
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Q: Can Police Stop A Person From Videotaping?
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A: Salinas Police said the only situation where a police officer would be allowed to ask you to stop video taping would be if it was a taped off scene and your video could destroy evidence or give suspects unwanted information.
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Q: How Often Are 747 Supertankers Used For Wildfires?
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A: More than 55,000 acres have burned so far this year in California, and while thousands of firefighters have battled the flames on the ground, there was also an intense fight from the air. Cal Fire said they use air tankers to fight these fires, but they don't always use the biggest one.
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Q: What does, "Kilroy Was Here" Mean?
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A: That's the mystery, there's still no proven answer as to exactly what "Kilroy Was Here" really means or where it originated. However, one story says the signature came from an American shipyard inspector who, during World War II, marked the boxes and supplies he checked with his name.
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Q Can Government Regulate Food and Gas Prices?
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A: According to David Henderson, a professor of Economics at the Naval Post Graduate School, the government can regulate the price of food and gas. "But do so would not be a good idea," says Henderson.
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Q: How Is Salinas Able To Afford A Spanish Website?
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A: Se habla Espanol. Salinas just launched a Spanish version of their city's web site last week. It's a project that's been in the works since 2007. The price tag? $75,000. The project is funded by Measure V.
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Q: Will An Overpass Go In at Espinosa Road?
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A new highway interchange is in the works for Highway 101 at Espinosa and Russell Roads. It's part of the nearly $300,000,000 Prunedale Improvement Project.
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Q: Are Seaside Police Logs Available To The Public?
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A: The Seaside Police Department said they do provide a lot of information to the public, including a weekly police log and a listing of wanted criminals on the city's web site.
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Q: When Will CSUMB Tear Down The Old Military Buildings?
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A: The school said they would remove the so-called "eye-sore" if they could. University officials said 175 of these old buildings remain on campus and would cost the school $30 million to remove.
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Q: When Poison Oak Burns, Can It Be Harmful To Firefighters?
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A: The simple answer here is: yes. Poison oak, when it burns, can be a concern for firefighters. Dr. Luder says the oil turns into a vapor when its heated up over a hundred degrees. It can then get into the lungs.
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Q: How Are The Contestants Picked For The "Price Is Right?"
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A: If you want to be a contestant, you must bring two forms of identification, including something with your social security number on it like a pay stub or a tax return form.
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Q: How Do Wildfires Get Their Names?
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A: The wildfire in the Santa Cruz mountains is called the "Lockheed" fire. It's been dubbed that because of a geographical location of where it started. Fire officials say wildfires could also take on the name of the closest community.
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Q: Can Police Open a Station on the Eastside?
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A: Salinas Police say placing a new station in the heart of the City's Eastside would not be possible because of funding. The Department does has a substation office on the corner of Sanborn and Alisal.
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Q: Is California going to send some of its inmates to Michigan to relieve overcrowding?
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A: The governor sent a delegation to inspect the prisons and report back to him. Now, a month later, there's still no word from Governor Schwarzenegger.
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Q: What's the story behind the huge artichoke sculpture in Castroville?
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A: The sculpture was commissioned in 1963 for a roadside stand and restaurant owned by a man named Ray Bei.
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Q: Where can I take my grandkids fishing this summer?
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A: There are two great options: one on the peninsula and one in the San Juan Valley.
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Q: Is there really such a thing as Monterey jade?
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A: Monterey jade does exist. It's also sometimes called Big Sur jade because it's actually found about 70 miles south of Monterey between Big Sur and Gorda.
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Q: What's the status of the safety improvements planned for Highway 101 north of Salinas?
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A: So far, CALTRANS has completed the environmental impact reports on the improvements and is wrapping up the design phase.
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Q: Is it legal to have tinted windows in your car?
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A: It is against the California Vehicle Code to tint your windshield or the front driver's and passenger's side windows.
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Q: Why is there often a high bacteria count in Stillwater Cove?
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A: Stillwater Cove is more likely to harbor high bacteria levels because it has poor circulation and little tidal flushing.
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Q: What's the purpose of the cross on the beach along Highway 1 just north of Monterey?
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A: Monterey historian Jim Conway says the cross was put up in December 1969 during Monterey's bicentennial celebration.
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Q: Why doesn't Monterey Salinas Transit provide benches at all of its bus stops?
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A: Monterey Salinas Transit says there just isn't enough money for seats at every bus stop.
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Q: Why do gas prices always end in 9/10 of a cent?
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A: It all comes down to marketing. Putting a nine at the end of a price makes it seem a lot cheaper than rounding up.
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Q: In the wake of the subprime lending crisis, can you still get a zero down mortgage?
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A: Both the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Agriculture guarantee zero down mortgages.
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