www.montereycountynow.com JANUARY 1-7, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 This year’s “Wrapped” was inspired by the Spotify-induced excitement in my own home. While my wife (Gen X) and son and daughter (Gen Z) were flexing their stats, my own were too low to mention—so I’m turning the spotlight on you, our readers. The stats below reveal a few takeaways about 2025. The Grind was Real. In 2025, 2,733 stories were published on montereycountynow. com. (That includes stories from the print edition of Monterey County Weekly, which are all also published online.) The Tea was Spilled. Our most-read story of the year dropped just last month, the wine influencer drama that broke the internet. You can find this Dec. 11 story still buzzing on Instagram or Reddit at r/ MontereyBay. The Ghosting Award. Mi Tierra market in Seaside. We miss you, tacos. The Story with the Most Main Character Energy. You, our readers, stared at a story about a failed waterfront shopping center, Heritage Harbor in Monterey, for an average of 4 minutes and 31 seconds. That’s a long time in internet minutes. Vibe Check 2025. Looking back at the stories that shaped us, the theme “revival” stands out. In 2025 we marked new beginnings, from a refreshed Lighthouse Cinema to an Osio Theater comeback effort, to Segovia’s and Amapola reopening to the return of roller skating. Fresh starts were everywhere last year. The G.O.A.T. Issue. On Oct. 9, the whole county played to win. Our annual Best of Monterey County® Readers’ Poll hit a massive milestone with over 60,000 views in a single day. The most viewed category: Best Place to Work. Inbox Stats. We sent a total of 11.2 million emails (we’ve been busy!) leading to a total of 560,000 total clicks. We know your inbox is a crowded place, so thanks for choosing to click on us. Lives Remembered. This year, we said goodbye to neighbors and icons who shaped our community. We honor the legacies of people we lost in 2025: James Vincent, the heart of Aquarius Dive Shop; Seth Pollack, who led CSUMB’s Service Learning Institute for 25 years; and Denny Levett, the Carmel hotelier who truly defined “village spirit.” We also remember Joshua Hostetter, a 23-year veteran of the Salinas Fire Department; Butch Kronlund, a tireless force for Big Sur leadership; culinary legend Chef Ted Walter of Passionfish; Helen Rucker, civil rights activist and educator in Seaside; and Erica Fox, a founder of the open-ocean swimming group the Kelp Krawlers. Their impact remains. Rest in peace. Stars Stuck. Thousands of you turned to the stars in 2025. One of Rob Brezsny’s astrological oracles alone pulled in 29,000 views, proving that even in a digital age, we’re all looking for a sign. Mercury in retrograde, anyone? Seek and Ye Shall Find. The most searched term on our website was “editorial,” followed by “lithium fire,” “Pajaro” then “Astrology.” Foodies Fight: The food story with the most legs was “End of an Era: Carmel’s iconic Forge in the Forest closed,” rivaled by a positive story about an opening, “A new spot in Monterey travels the culinary world, offering something for everyone—with a surprise or two,” about Lighthouse Bistro Global Cuisine. Our “Hot Take.” The mostread opinion story of the year: “Middlebury’s announcement to end MIIS—a moment many described as a devastating blow to the heart of Monterey,” published on Sept. 4. Eye Candy. While our “ETC Photo” is a daily favorite in the newsletter, our online galleries stole the show this year. The standout? Kevin Ludwig’s moody shot of a dog chasing a ball into the morning mist at Del Monte Beach—our mostviewed photo of 2025. The Cyberpaper Stats. Our digital flipbook remains a powerhouse, totaling 1.4 million page views this year. You aren’t just clicking—you’re reading, with an average engagement of 6 minutes 4 seconds. Mapping the Readership. Our web traffic is driven by the regional power of Salinas, San Jose, Los Angeles and Monterey in that order. So, that’s our year in review. What stories caught your attention in 2025? Kevin Smith is the Director of Digital Media at Monterey County Weekly and Monterey County Now. Reach him at kevin@montereycountynow.com. That’s a Wrap A look back with a ‘2025 Wrapped’ for Monterey County Now. By Kevin Smith DIVIDE AND CONQUER…Squid’s friend Mollie Mola gave Squid a bag of off-brand shrimp-flavored popcorn for Christmas, but Squid isn’t one to look a gift-seahorse in the mouth, an old saying meaning you should be grateful instead of critical of any gift, regardless of its flaws. That being said, Squid counts as fair game political ploys masquerading as gifts. During President Donald Trump’s address to the nation on Dec. 17, he boasted about a gift to 1.45 million members of the military just in time for Christmas, a $1,776 “warrior’s dividend.” The amount was designed to commemorate the 250 years the military has been defending the country since 1776. Trump claimed the money was coming largely from tariffs because “we made a lot more money than anybody thought,” he said. Nice try to deflect from bad poll numbers and the release of the Epstein files, but in reality the estimated $2.6 billion in warrior dividends is coming from money service members would have received anyway, from funds approved by Congress in Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” as a one-time housing allowance supplement. (Trump briefly acknowledged the bill “helped us along.”) As for the tariffs, one estimate puts the amount collected through September at $179 billion, 9.6 percent of the estimated deficit for 2025 of $1.9 trillion. Winning! GOTAWAY CAR…Squid’s 10 stockings were filled with mostly edible treats this Christmas—lots of shrimp-flavored popcorn. A quick ooze over to small claims court shows it was not such a merry holiday for everyone— Maria Clara Fidencio Ortega filed a suit in Monterey County Superior Court on Dec. 26 against Alfredo Yovani Huazo over a car sale that allegedly fell apart. Ortega claims she paid $4,200 to Huazo, who was going to sell her a white Nissan. But then he said things changed and the vehicle was no longer available. Ortega went to his Salinas home to get her money. He sent someone else to give her back her money, but it was just $2,000. “We have sent him many messages but doesn’t answer,” she wrote. “We have also tried to call with different numbers but he just hangs up.” (Squid’s colleague also tried calling and got no answer, and a message saying no voicemail was set up.) Squid’s colleague checked with Salinas PD, which has no record of a criminal complaint. “When it comes to someone alleging something and it’s a he-said, she-said situation, we tell them that’s civil, not criminal,” says Sgt. Zachary Dunagan. “We can’t take one person’s word over another.” Whether a judge does take Ortega’s word remains to be seen. So too does the white Nissan, the car that got away. THE LOCAL SPIN SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. Fresh starts were everywhere last year. SEND SQUID A TIP: squid@montereycountynow.com
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