Tribune reporting embarrasses Atascadero police chief
By KAREN VELIE An 11-year-old Atascadero boy lost his life in a tragic hit-and-run accident last month that led to a misinformation campaign by the daily newspaper with many questions left unanswered. Who is the man accused of manslaughter in the death of 11-year-old José Gutiérrez? Was the driver on...
Atascadero Unified School District selects new superintendent
By KAREN VELIE Atascadero Unified School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Tuesday to appoint Tom Bennett to serve as the district’s new superintendent. Bennett starts the job on July 1 at a salary of $233,188. He is then slated to receive yearly 4% raises. For the past year,...
Paso Robles police investigating body found in riverbed
By KAREN VELIE Paso Robles police officers are investigating the death of a man whose body was found in the Salinas Riverbed on Sunday morning. In the morning, a caller reported a possible dead man in the riverbed near Highway 46 and Highway 101. While members of the homeless community...
Officers arrest four people for armed robbery in Oxnard
By KAREN VELIE A federal grand jury indicted four people on Monday for their alleged involvement in a series of armed robberies in Oxnard earlier this year. The four suspects allegedly robbed a The Home Depot store on Jan. 4. Three days later, they robbed a Walmart store. The suspects...
Scammers selling tickets to Deltopia parties in Isla Vista
By KAREN VELIE As Deltopia weekend approaches, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is warning partygoers of a scam targeting those looking to join the festivities. Partygoers can buy prepaid tickets for parties in Isla Vista, though some of the offers are fraudulent while others are not legal. Deputies want...
Outage leaves hundreds of Nipomo residents without power
By KAREN VELIE Nearly 900 PG&E customers lost power in Nipomo on Tuesday morning. Shortly after 7:30 a.m., 891 PG&E customers in southern Nipomo lost power. Power has since been restored to 203 PG&E customers. PG&E estimates the power will be restored to the remaining customers by 2 p.m. The...
A look at San Luis Obispo County rainfall totals, reservoir levels
By KAREN VELIE Rainfall totals in San Luis Obispo County are slightly below average in most areas of the county with totals running between 66% to 99% average yearly rainfall, according to SLO County. After several years of heavy rains, local reservoir levels remain healthy. Climate scientists track rain from...