2011

Wal-Mart rally against Rottman Group – via robocalls

Robocalls disparaging the Rottman Group and asking the public to support Wal-Mart ignited a wide-range of responses from Atascadero residents and a denial of any involvement by the mega retailer. “Attention Wal-Mart supporters,” the calls said before slamming the Rottman... (Continue reading)

Initiative could shut down Diablo Canyon nuclear plant

A California ballot initiative proposed for next fall would force Diablo Canyon and San Onofre nuclear power plants to immediately shut down causing electric rates to skyrocket, rolling blackouts, and billions of dollars in economic losses each year, according to... (Continue reading)

Feds seize 9 tons of pot

Federal custom officials seized nine tons of marijuana they discovered inside a tractor-trailer at the Otay Mesa border crossing, officials announced Friday. On Tuesday, an x-ray search showed the trailer was packed with bricks of marijuana. The pot has an... (Continue reading)

Stolen vehicle investigation leads to 6 arrests

A traffic stop by Grover Beach Police on Wednesday led to the arrest of six people for a variety of crimes including car theft, possession of burglary tools and giving a false name to an officer. When two occupants of... (Continue reading)

Occupy SLO battle leads to theft allegations

An internal battle between members of the Occupy SLO movement has lead to the filing of a theft report against four members who cleaned out the San Luis Obispo County Courthouse demonstration site. Several Occupy SLO members opposed to the courthouse... (Continue reading)

Wal-Mart flexing initiative power

Tired of opposition to its expansion, Wal-Mart is exploiting California’s initiative system to intimidate elected officials with threats of costly special elections, and to sidestep lawsuits originating with environmental groups. [CaliforniaWatch] Using paid signature gatherers, the Arkansas-based retail giant plans... (Continue reading)

Winning lottery ticket creates havoc

Easy money has its price. It’s an old lesson being learned anew by employees at 1-Stop, the little corner convenience store in Paso Robles where Charles Hairston purchased his $78 million lottery ticket. The 82-year-old Korean War vet bought the golden ducat... (Continue reading)

Arroyo Grande woman sentenced to 15 months for theft

An Arroyo Grande woman who admitted to stealing nearly $110,000 from U.S. Bank and two elderly customers while she was employed at its Arroyo Grande branch was sentenced Monday to 15 months in federal prison, according to the U.S. attorney’s... (Continue reading)

Bay Bridge will last a while

Is the Bay Bridge safe to traverse? Officials have been concerned that the structural integrity of the West’s most vulnerable landmark, the Bay Bridge, might be compromised after discovery of blatant falsification of testing data by individuals in the state’s... (Continue reading)

Paso Robles woman sentenced to six years in prison for fraud

A Paso Robles woman was sentenced this morning to 72 months in federal prison for orchestrating a scheme to defraud the United States Department of Education out of a $35 million grant, according to a U.S. Attorney’s office press release.... (Continue reading)