Comparing COVID-19 death rates in California, to other states
By KAREN VELIE COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc in more densely populated states, while less populated states appear to have lower death rates. New Jersey, the most densely populated state in the union has the second highest death rate per capita. With the lowest population density, Alaska ranks third for...
Ruben Flores’ neighbor refutes allegations she saw digging under porch
By KAREN VELIE A neighbor of Ruben Flores denied seeing anyone under his Arroyo Grande home on Feb. 9, 2020, calling the allegations she viewed digging, shovels and a wheelbarrow “untrue.” Ruben Flores’ son Paul Flores is accused of murdering Kristin Smart during an attempted rape in 1996. Charged with...
San Luis Obispo teen killed in Highway 101 crash
By KAREN VELIE A teen died in a single car crash along Highway 101 near Avila Beach Drive early Tuesday morning, according to the CHP. Shortly after midnight, 21-year-old Aron Gonzalez was driving northbound on Highway 101 when he veered to the right, hit a traffic sign, headed down a...
Apartment complex fire in Paso Robles displaces 40 residents
By JOSH FRIEDMAN A fire destroyed much of an eight-unit building at the Dry Creek Apartments in Paso Robles Tuesday morning, leaving a total of 40 residents displaced. Shortly after 8 a.m., a caller reported the fire at 1211 Alamo Creek Drive. It appears the fire spread from one apartment...
Arroyo Grande man gets eight years to life in torture case
By JOSH FRIEDMAN A judge sentenced an Arroyo Grande man to eight years to life in prison on Monday over an incident in which he poured boiling oil on his 79-year-old foster mother, then stabbed her. On Aug. 2, Matthew Leroy Ehens, 38, started an argument with his foster mother...
Drunk driver allegedly kills pedestrian in Atascadero
By KAREN VELIE A Paso Robles man allegedly hit and killed a pedestrian in Atascadero Sunday evening before crashing head-on into another vehicle on Highway 41 near Santa Rosa Road. Following the fatal hit-and-run, Jorge Castaneda, 26, of Paso Robles drove his Jeep into oncoming traffic and head-on into another...
Crash wedges car under semi-truck in Paso Robles
By JOSH FRIEDMAN A two-vehicle collision on Monday morning on Highway 46 in rural Paso Robles left one person trapped in a vehicle wedged underneath a semi-truck. Shortly before 6 a.m., the semi-truck, which was carrying an 80,000-pound load, collided with a black sedan near the intersection of Highway 46...
