Fire burns four acres near Pismo Beach, preserve temporary closed
By KAREN VELIE A fire near Pismo Beach burned four acres on Tuesday evening, leading to the temporary closure of the Pismo Preserve, according to Cal Fire. Shortly before midnight, a caller reported a fire burning on a hillside next to Highway 101. Firefighters arrived to find a three acre...
Why did 40 cats die in a Paso Robles apartment?
By KAREN VELIE Animal control workers rescued six cats living in a filthy Paso Robles apartment amid the dead bodies and bones of 40 other cats, a sea of cat feces, and piles of trash. The questions are: how did the cats get into the apartment and who is responsible?...
Brad Pitt filming racing movie at the Oceano Dunes
By KAREN VELIE Brad Pitt is currently filming scenes for F1, a Formula 1 racing movie, at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. The filming is slated to continue through Thursday afternoon. In the movie scheduled for release in June 2025, Pitt plays an ex-Formula 1 driver who returns...
Paso Robles man charged with murder, hate crime, animal cruelty
By KAREN VELIE A 21-year-old Paso Robles man is facing charges of murder, animal cruelty and a hate crime in the stabbing death of 32-year-old Todd Pinion of Atascadero, a gay man. Pinion had been missing for more than a week when his body was found near a creek in...
San Luis Obispo County election night coverage 2024
By KAREN VELIE One of most stressful election cycles in San Luis Obispo County is drawing to a close. There are controversial measures in Morro Bay and Grover Beach, four cities want to increase their sales tax, and there are more than a dozen city council seats up for grabs....
Atascadero police warn residents of identity theft scam
By KAREN VELIE The Atascadero Police Department warns the public of an identity theft and fraud scheme targeting local residents. Several community members have reported receiving calls from individuals falsely claiming to represent the Atascadero Police Department. These scammers use caller spoofing technology to make it appear that the calls...
Why are San Luis Obispo County residents now part of 3C Energy?
By KAREN VELIE Rural San Luis Obispo County and Atascadero City residents were recently auto-enrolled in Central Coast Community Energy (3C Energy) for their energy needs causing concern by some while supported by others. On mutiple occasions, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors rejected a plan to auto-enroll...