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On Capitol Hill, Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel, told the House of Representatives on Wednesday that its gun control efforts did not go far enough and called for patching the background check system and banning bump stocks. “We all appreciate the emotion and passion by the high school students across our country but we realize, as they do, that thoughts and prayers only go so far,” Panetta. “So now it is up to congress to govern, not just by crisis but actually by leadership, to make our schools, our communities and our countries safer.”

SALINAS — Some Salinas students debated the issue of gun control, some shouted "enough is enough" in the rain while marching to city hall and others stood in the formation of a peace sign Wednesday as students across the nation walked out of class to protest gun violence.

SALINAS, Calif. - Students at Alisal High School in Salinas joined the national movement and held a rally centered around remembering those who were killed in the Parkland, Florida school shooting and calling for change.

"This morning I really thought, 'Wow, I'm being part of something that can change the whole world. This is happening in my moment and I need to take action right now,'" senior Jasmine Mejia said.

A fight over how tough to make work requirements in the food stamp program is already threatening to derail the House farm bill, which some see as one of the only shots for bipartisan legislation this year.

The House Agriculture Committee, which was expected to release its bill as early as this week, is keeping a very tight lid on its proposal to change the program. But what little has leaked out has infuriated groups on the left and the right, jeopardizing its prospects for passage.

House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway is delaying the planned debate of a new farm bill to negotiate changes in its nutrition title that could win some Democratic support.

Democrats have rebelled at provisions in the draft bill that would increase the number of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients subject to work requirements and use the savings from reducing enrollment to expand state employment and training programs.

Monterey County >> National School Walk Out is planned for Wednesday at 10 a.m. with promoters of the nationwide event calling for students to leave class for 17 minutes, representing the 17 lives lost in the recent Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School school shooting in Florida.

But, the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District is encouraging students to remain on campus in the interest of student safety and encourages school sites to plan activities where students and staff can express their voices on campus.

One of the more moderate Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee, California Rep. Jimmy Panetta, says he wants to see the details of Chairman Mike Conaway's draft farm bill before taking a position on its nutrition provisions.