Dear Readers,

The tearing down of San Clemente Dam for earthquake safety and to help restore the Carmel River's habitat has received its final permit after a serious dispute over demolition truck traffic was resolved. Your cost for this project -- just one among many for the river's benefit -- will be $83 million. Chris Counts reports.

A woman who seriously objects to a couple of new houses being built uphill from her has simultaneously sued the City of Carmel in state and federal court. Mary Schley has that one.

The troubled Big Sur resident who horribly murdered a taxi driver in Monterey last week hanged himself in his jail cell Sunday. Chris also has that story.

Backyard chickens will be able to get permanent permits, but live musical performances in bars and restaurants won't, under revised ordinances approved by the city council this week. The young man who paralyzed a high school friend in a notorious DUI crash three years ago will have another chance to get out of prison. Our newest columnist, Jerry Gervase, has a very touching piece about Mother's Day -- be sure to look for it in the Real Estate Section. I have another installment in my series about my experiences in network news. This one deals with a very controversial period in American history. And my editorial asks whether CEQA could possibly get any worse than it already is. The answer, unfortunately, is, "You betcha."

Thank you very much for your support of our newspaper. Please feel free to email me with your questions, comments or concerns about its content, or about how best to read it on your computer, smartphone or iPad.

To get this week's complete Pine Cone, please click here. If you have an informed opinion about one of our stories and would like to submit a letter to the editor, please click here. And please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions, comments or concerns.

Paul Miller, Publisher
paul@carmelpinecone.com

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