Local News

Payless ShoeSource will close all 2,500 of its North American stores, including the King City location, in the coming months after the company filed for bankruptcy protection this week.

The annual Gang Prevention Summit on Jan. 26 featured many speakers from law enforcement and from the Boys and Girls Club. This year there was also a special speaker, Juan “Johnny” Gomez, who was present when two of his relatives were victims of gang violence.

New routing options that would speed up bus service between Salinas and South County are being considered by Monterey-Salinas Transit.

In a ceremony Feb. 12 at the French Consulate in San Francisco, Dr. Duane Hyde — a longtime resident and family doctor of King City — was recognized for his service in World War II with the Legion of Honor medal, France’s highest order of merit for military and civil awards.

It’s been nearly a full year without a shooting in King City, and local officials recently praised the city’s overall reduction in violent crime and other achievements in 2018 at the annual State of the City Address.

The City of Soledad was once again listed among the top 50 safest cities in California, according to the National Council for Home Safety and Security’s recently released “The Safest Cities in California 2019” report.

Gonzales High School senior Cindy Aguilar recently met with Tony Thurmond, the new state superintendent of public instruction, to speak with him about mental health services for high school students.

Lockwood 4-H member Seralyn Colton has reported that the Give A Hoot! 4-H project succeeded in making 20 owl-nesting boxes for the community last year.