Digital NEST has opened its doors! - April 17, 2017, was the opening day for Digital NEST in the Building Healthy Communities Room in the Cesar Chavez Library. NEST stands for Nurturing Entrepreneurial Skills with Technology. Digital NEST is a nonprofit that first opened its doors in Watsonville; the goal of the program is to teach youth aged 14-24 how to use technology.
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City of Salinas Presents at the Annual CALED Conference - Economic Developers statewide learned about the City's experience in engaging with the community in the creation and implementation of its Economic Development Element. City Staff and community members presented at the Annual Conference for the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED) in San Diego on March 22.
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Young Innovators Challenge Comes to Salinas - On March 31, Salinas hosted its first annual Young Innovators Challenge. Hosted by the THRIVE Foundation (a local nonprofit with a mission of developing the AgTech Ecosystem) in partnership with the City of Salinas, the event included 125 middle and high school-aged students from ten different schools. Presented with the theme of "Feeding 9 Billion People by the Year 2030," each team developed unique approaches to addressing this issue.
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THRIVE Accelerator Program Kick Off - The third session of the THRIVE Accelerator Program kicked off on April 11. After reviewing more than 175 applications for the THRIVE III program, the top 10 companies were selected to participate. Coming from five different countries, they attended the program inauguration at the Taylor Farms Building in Downtown Salinas.
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Silicon Valley Delegation Forum Hosted by the City of Salinas - On April 5, the City hosted a delegation from the Silicon Valley Forum to come and learn about Salinas' role in the AgTech industry. The group included more than 100 attendees from 17 different countries, including startups, investors, and government officials.
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Attic Fire Illustrates the Dangers Firefighters Face - An attic fire during midday in South Salinas illustrates the inherent dangers firefighters face while suppressing building fires. The photo shows an active fire through the roof and heavy fire conditions once a ventilation hole has been placed. A Firefighter over the top of a fire is one of the most dangerous aspects of the job reports Chief Rodriguez.
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Search Dog Helps on Chinatown Fire - Through the California Fire Mutual Aid System, the Salinas Fire Department requested a cadaver dog to assist in searching for possible victims in the aftermath of the 3rd Alarm Fire in Chinatown. Chief Edmond Rodriguez reports a canine from the Mountain View Fire Department was requested and responded to the scene to conduct searches with a trained handler.
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| Library and Community Services |
Crime Lab Chemistry: Finding the Missing Dinosaur - Someone stole Lucy the Dinosaur from the Field Museum in Chicago. The thief left this note: "If you want to get your dinosaur back, you need to pay me 1,000 chocolate bars." And so began a fun afternoon of science and discovery on April 12th at the Cesar Chavez Library where more than two dozen young children participated in a new program designed to challenge their analytical skills. This is the first lesson plan from 4-H programming being incorporated into new, STEM based programs at the library.
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Nina Simons: A Big Draw for National Library Week - Nina Simon received a warm welcome on Thursday, April 13, at the John Steinbeck Library from members of the community, the Asian Cultural Experience, Friends of the Salinas Public Library, and other dedicated library patrons. Nina, who is nationally recognized for her innovative work in changing museums and reinventing audiences for cultural institutions, gave a very engaging presentation based on her latest book "The Art of Relevance."
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City Awarded AmeriCorps VISTA Members ti Support Alisal Effords - The City was recently awarded five VISTA (Volunteers In Service to America) positions to support efforts to tackle poverty factors in the Alisal neighborhood and the development of the Alisal Vibrancy Plan. Three of the VISTAs will work with the Community Development Department on projects addressing housing affordability, small business development, and food access/entrepreneurship. Two VISTAs with work with the Library & Community Services Department to strengthen volunteer involvement in their education programs, such as Read, Grow, PLAY and Homework Centers. All five will also assist with community outreach for the Alisal planning process.
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Chinatown Kicks Off Revitalization Plan Working Groups - On April 4, 2017, and April 5, 2017, the City of Salinas Community Development Department in conjunction with neighborhood stakeholders, residents, property owners, business owners, service providers and the Asian community organized the first Chinatown Revitalization Plan Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and Working Group meetings. The two-day event was comprised of meetings with the TAC and Working Groups members, which included residents, homeless community, service providers and Asian community. The groups went through exercises to identify top priorities and visions for the future of the neighborhood. Top desires that rose to the top included creating a safe and clean environment in Chinatown.
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Update on Reporting Storm Damage - On Monday April 3, the City learned that the President approved the State's request for disaster relief for the month of February 2017, and this federal declaration includes the County of Monterey and its cities. Staff has been working to the collect costs for the emergency response, preventative actions taken to prevent further damage, and restoration estimates.
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