Judges disqualifies Trump appointed prosecutor Bill Essayli
By KAREN VELIE A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that Bill Essayli is unlawfully serving as the lead federal prosecutor for the Central District of California, and is disqualified from overseeing two criminal cases. Even so, U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright stayed his order to allow the government time...
SLO County jury finds man too dangerous for release
By KAREN VELIE A San Luis Obispo County jury on Monday found 39-year-old William Cloward too dangerous to release from Atascadero State Mental Hospital. Following the verdict, the court denied Cloward’s petition for release. When a person is up for parole, and the severe mental disorder is not in remission...
Five San Luis Obispo County residents test positive for E. coli
By KAREN VELIE Five San Luis Obispo County residents tested positive for E. coli after visiting a pumpkin farm on Los Osos Valley Road. Three children are in serious condition. On Tuesday afternoon, the SLO County Department of Public Health confirmed five cases of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli with a...
Gas leak leads to shelter-in-place in San Luis Obispo
By KAREN VELIE A natural gas leak in San Luis Obispo led to a shelter-in-place order for the 900 block of Monterey Street, including the Anderson Building, on Tuesday afternoon. The following roads are closed: Osos Street from Higuera Street to Palm Street Morro Street from Higuera Street to Palm...
A cautionary tale: Promises made, promises broken
OPINION by BERKLEY BAKER In their rebuttal in the voter information guide, Measure G-26 supporters claim that opponents “cannot name a single misspent dollar” and that concerns about unchecked bond spending are “simply untrue.” The San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury offered a very different assessment in its Nov. 17,...
Driver hits, kills 96-year-old pedestrian in Lompoc
By JOSH FRIEDMAN A driver struck and killed a 96-year-old man who was trying to cross a street in Lompoc on Monday night. Just before 9:15 p.m., officers responded to the 2000 block of North H Street following a report of a vehicle striking a pedestrian. Officers found the 96-year-old...
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff searching for missing elderly man
By JOSH FRIEDMAN The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for help locating a missing 86-year-old man from rural Arroyo Grande, who is considered at risk because he suffers from Alzheimer’s and dementia. On Monday, sheriff’s deputies responded to an at-risk missing person report in the...
