Good Morning Monterey Bay

Ep. 561 - GMMB Wednesday 30 Apr 2025

Jaime Smith answered the age old question, "Why does chicken go so well with fish?" Also, does the B.R.A.T. diet work? It does. We talked honey, too.

Christina "Cee Gee" Glynn, director of communications for Visit Santa Cruz County joined us in the studio. She's back from Frankfurt, France, London and Copenhagen where she was part of a group promoting California tourism. The counter to a bad image is good storytelling, which is what they did. March visitors to the U.S. numbered 12% fewer than in 2024, and they are tasked with improving that. She reminded us of so many places to go in Santa Cruz County, like the boardwalk, parks, wineries, breweries, restaurants and more.

Ep. 560 - GMMB Tuesday 29 Apr 2025

In good news we heard of a waitress who died, whose sister used her last day's tip money to start a project that ended up causing many people to do good deeds for many more, and resulted in a terrific video tribute to woman who died.

State senator John Laird spoke of his bill to enact protections related to battery energy storage systems like the one in Moss Landing. He compared his bill to another, proposed by assemblymember Dawn Addis. He also talked about sanctuary cities, and citizens' ability to move about the country, and to and from it, freely.

Ep. 559 - GMMB Monday 28 Apr 2025

In Good News we heard of a rare tree from Australia that is producing fruit in England for the first time, a boy who saved a calf, and the recent successfull running of the Big Sur International marathon.

Mark Mozena had lots of topics, not all of which we got to, so perhaps some will spill over into our next visit.

• Leadership and heads of launch safety in the FAA’s Commercial Space Office announce that they are leaving
• White House pushing NOAA to dramatically reduce its weather satellite program. 
• NASA Administrator nominee calls proposed science cuts ‘not ideal’. He will likely be voted out of Senate committee this week.
• White House announced they have cancelled the lease for NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Science - an institution in NYC dedicated to studying climate and earth science. Unclear where / if scientists will be moved. 
• China positioning itself as a science and exploration hub and attracting new partners to work with them. Sharing moon samples with foreign universities, hosting other countries’ payloads on lunar missions, and a new exploration and science plan for the moon, mars and science 
• Big potential future investments in security space!  Congress is suggesting increasing Defense budgets by $150B including support for Golden Dome and for updating space systems. 
• It is International Dark Sky Week this week!

Michael Olson told us a bit about the Hirahara house in Watsonville. If you would like to hear a more in depth discussion of that, listen to this episode of the Community Matters show.

Ep. 558 - GMMB Friday 25 Apr 2025

Dr. Pete let us know today is Penguin Awareness Day. He told us about penguin etiquette, which is mostly just people not getting to close to them.

Alex and Rosemary both liked several of this week's movies. The Accountant 2, Jimmy in Saigon and Cheech and Chong's Last Movie all got thumbs up from both of them.

Charlie said it is a banner year, both for neighborhood gardens and for wildflowers on the hillsides.

Ep. 557 - GMMB Thursday 24 Apr 2025

Heather Houston of Yala Lati was in the studio with us. She told us the name Yala Lati was just a fun sound to sing, but if we must have a meaning for it, it is this. "Women's voices raising in harmony to bless the world." What's not to love about that? Her group has been singing together for 20 years. She says anyone can sing, and told us a bit of how one can make that happen. Best of all, she shared with us a couple pieces of quite beautiful music.

A More Beautiful World

Tending The Spark

Ep. 556 - GMMB Wednesday 23 Apr 2025

Jaime Smith was all over the place. First we heard of his Easter meal with his family. Then we learned that his child's Florida school is not the one that recently had a shooting with multiple victims, but is the rival to that school, so he knows parents of several students at it. We learned whether coconut water really is healthy. Rosemary introduced him to Dubai chocolate.

Dan Haifley was also with us, talking about whales in the Monterey Bay. NOAA employees have been fired, hired and fired again, which is causing difficulties for marinie sanctuaries. He talked about the coastal commission, and the support Justin Cummings has gotten in his bid to serve. Finally he told us about Whalefest.

Tim Goncharoff joined as well, with lots to share about recycling and trash.

Ep. 555 - GMMB Tuesday 22 Apr 2025

Michael Olson subbed in for Bill today.

Rachael Shelton joined and set a new record for going over time. She and Mr. Olson talked about the cost of leasing a building. She emphasized the importance of reading the contract. How much everything will cost can be a mystery until then.

Ep. 554 - GMMB Monday 21 Apr 2025

Mark had extremely exciting news today, about our best evidence for life elsewhere to date. Here are that and his other topics as well.

• Best candidate yet for possible life on another planet!
• New clues from NASA’s Curiosity rover that mars was once inhabited. 
• States jockeying to move NASA HQ out of DC
• Lurid meteor shower ongoing - peaks tomorrow night

Michael Olson's ag report was all about the Santa Cruz Mountain Mushroom Festival, put on by Ian and Kira.