Salinas Ca

Plagued by gang violence for years, the city of Salinas has taken the standard approaches: beefed-up police patrols, court injunctions, parenting classes, high-minded gatherings of experts. But with more gang-related homicides so far this year than in all of 2007, officials in the agricultural city south of San Jose have started thinking more unconventionally. A few months ago, they sought the help of the city's grandmothers to keep kids out of gangs.

NATIONAL STEINBECK CENTER Salinas, Monterey County It is always a challenge to commemorate a life, never mind a writer's life. Unlike museums devoted to sports legends or war heroes, a museum that honors a man of arts and letters must reflect his quiet, solitary pursuit. Which is to say that such a repository may be unbearably dull.

Bail was tripled to $1.5 million for a pastor charged with molesting a 16-year-old girl after prosecutors told a judge a second victim has been found. Superior Court Judge Russell Scott hiked the bail Thursday for Donald Domelle, pastor of the Baptist Temple of Salinas on Harrison Road, because he presents a flight risk based on new, more serious allegations, Deputy Dist. Atty. Gary Thelander said. Prosecutors plan to file at least 40 more counts against Domelle.

A North Salinas High School freshman has been arrested for bringing a realistic-looking toy gun to school, authorities said. The teenager was taken to Monterey County Juvenile Hall shortly after the 9-millimeter replica was discovered Thursday morning. School officers found the replica inside the teen's locker after another student reported the youth had a gun, police said. The teenager was suspended indefinitely. The school board will decide whether to expel him.

The hometown of Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck is saving its library services. The City Council on Tuesday approved $10 million to restore library hours, put more police officers on the street and set up after-school recreation programs. The three Salinas libraries were set to close last year because of budget cuts, but a grass-roots campaign raised more than $500,000 to keep the libraries open with limited hours.

A beautician has been charged after allegedly injecting a client with cooking oil as part of a wrinkle-defying cosmetic procedure. Martha Mata Vasquez, 39, of Salinas was charged with involuntary manslaughter and practicing medicine without a license. Bail was set at $1 million. Vasquez is accused of injecting vegetable oil into the buttocks of Olivia Aguirre-Castillo of Castroville on Nov. 17. Aguirre-Castillo died of organ failure.

Bad news can blanket this agricultural city like the fog wafting in off the coast. Two years ago, Salinas was so broke it nearly had to shut its libraries for good. Last month came the spinach scare, paralyzing farmers and pickers, packers and shippers as news spread of three \o7E. coli \f7deaths and nearly 200 reported illnesses in 26 states. In between, companies decided to uproot from the Salinas Valley, taking 2,000 jobs with them.

A family cat helped alert his owner of a fire in the home, allowing everyone to escape unharmed. The fire started in the garage about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, homeowner Rick Genasci said. Officials said Christmas wrapping paper stored too close to the home's heating system sparked the blaze, which quickly spread to the house. The Genascis' cat alerted the family by scratching at the door that connected the house to the garage, Genasci said.

Monterey County grand jurors scolded the Board of Supervisors in a scathing, 229-page report that criticizes the board for allegedly dropping the ball on crucial issues of water, transportation and affordable housing. Monday's grand jury report said the board lacked budget expertise, bent to special interests and "employed a laid-back, wait-and-see attitude in the development of the General Plan."

Mayor Anna Caballero is spearheading a plan to keep libraries open in John Steinbeck's hometown. With just two months before the town's three libraries are set to close because of budget cuts, Caballero launched a $500,000 fundraising campaign. She said an anonymous Salinas Valley rancher had pledged $25,000 and promised an additional $75,000.