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2009

Hertel and Fowler caught up in yet another scandal

Written on 5 Mar, 2009 in Uncovered SLO | 4 comments

By THE EDITORS Securities and Exchange Commission investigators are probing California Assemblywoman Diane Harkey (R-Orange County), her husband Dan, and his hard-money lending company, Point Center Financial, regarding the Harkey’s relationship with R.W. Hertel and Sons. The investigation is said to focus... (Continue reading)

California Valley board member lost and found

Written on 4 Mar, 2009 in Uncovered SLO | 3 comments

By KAREN VELIE A director of the California Valley Community Service District (CVCSD) Director who has been absent for five months was officially listed as a missing person Sunday by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department. Sal Guide surfaced 48... (Continue reading)

Paso water rate boost appears headed to voters

Written on 4 Mar, 2009 in Uncovered SLO | One comment

By DANIEL BLACKBURN Paso Robles city officials’ hopes for carefree financing of future water supplies may have gone down the drain Tuesday, and proponents of an elevated water tax now face a precarious ballot challenge. Representatives of a citizens group presented Assistant... (Continue reading)

Living large on Atascadero taxpayers’ dime

Written on 2 Mar, 2009 in Uncovered SLO | 6 comments

By KAREN VELIE After proclaiming a looming fiscal crisis and predicting municipal worker layoffs, Atascadero City Manager Wade McKinney and city taxpayers treated a group of upper level employees to a three-day excursion at an upscale Carmel Valley resort. But before heading... (Continue reading)

Erstwhile Trib publisher Visci new Cal Poly veep

Written on 27 Feb, 2009 in Uncovered SLO | 3 comments

By THE EDITORS Former Tribune publisher Chip Visci becomes an early beneficiary of a passed state budget by bagging a job at Cal Poly as associate vice president for strategic communications. Visci, 55, worked as a reporter and editor and Knight Ridder... (Continue reading)

Weyrich belly up, money woes widening

Written on 26 Feb, 2009 in Uncovered SLO | 10 comments

By KAREN VELIE In yet another sign of mounting unpaid debts for Paso Robles businessman David Weyrich and his wife, Mary Weyrich, a local lender filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging that the Weyrichs failed to pay back a more than $1... (Continue reading)

UPDATE: Dancing Star whistleblower shown the gate

Written on 25 Feb, 2009 in Uncovered SLO | 17 comments

By KAREN VELIE Dancing Star Foundation has fired a fulltime employee considered a whistleblower by supporters because of his actions in bringing to light the killing of healthy animals at the Cayucos animal sanctuary. Earlier today, sanctuary foreman Jerry Smith ordered maintenance... (Continue reading)

Money problems driving sanctuary kills

Written on 24 Feb, 2009 in Uncovered SLO | 5 comments

By KAREN VELIE Many healthy animals entrusted to Dancing Star Foundation’s Cayucos sanctuary have been euthanized in recent months after being placed on a “kill list” -- prepared with the help of a veterinarian and weighted heavily by economic considerations. A top... (Continue reading)

Selective code enforcement: Is it ‘God’s will?’

Written on 24 Feb, 2009 in Uncovered SLO | 4 comments

First in a series By DANIEL BLACKBURN Dan De Vaul, meet The Apostle. While county officials pursue a vigorous (some say pernicious) criminal prosecution against high-profile De Vaul and his South County Sunny Acres Ranch for the hapless, another, longer-running code enforcement drama... (Continue reading)

UPDATE: They shoot horses, don’t they? Maybe not

Written on 20 Feb, 2009 in Uncovered SLO | 15 comments

By KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN A temporary halt in the random killing of animals at Cayucos’ Dancing Star Sanctuary has been declared by officials of the Los Angeles-based foundation that administers the facility. ... (Continue reading)