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January, 2012

Mecham scolds Hill for phony phone call

Written on 24 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 89 comments

By DANIEL BLACKBURN Supervisor Frank Mecham delivered a firm reproach to a peer Tuesday, characterizing Adam Hill’s recent phone impersonation of a political rival as embarrassing to the board. Hill left a recorded message Jan. 6 with the author of... (Continue reading)

SLO County CHW hospitals split from the Catholic Church

Written on 24 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 11 comments

Catholic Healthcare West, which operates two hospitals in San Luis Obispo County, changed its name on Monday to Dignity Health and cut its affiliation with the Catholic Church. [SacramentoBee] The change is not expected to impact patient care or employees... (Continue reading)

Paso Robles couple facing sentencing in slave labor case

Written on 24 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 10 comments

Federal prosecutors have asked the court to sentence a Paso Robles couple to prison for harboring Filipino nationals who were smuggled into the United States to work under sub-standard conditions at the couple’s elder care facilities. Maximino Morales, 45, and... (Continue reading)

Ouch! The pain gap widens

Written on 24 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 9 comments

Women feel the pain more than men — or so a new Stanford study suggests. Asked to score the level of their pain resulting from a cross-section of 250 human ailments, women reported more severe pain than did men, by... (Continue reading)

Psychiatric cuts at ASH raise alarms

Written on 23 Jan, 2012 in Featured, Uncovered SLO | 25 comments

By DANIEL BLACKBURN Deep budget cuts at Atascadero State Hospital have prompted administrators to slash positions of more than a dozen contract psychiatrists during the past three months, just as the hospital initiates a unique pilot program for collectively treating... (Continue reading)

Who’s to blame for the abolition of California’s redevelopment agencies?

Written on 23 Jan, 2012 in Featured, Opinion | 17 comments

OPINION By MIKE BRENNLER Lately we have heard a great deal of grumbling concerning Governor Brown’s decision to abolish Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRDA). Much of the grumbling comes directly from city officials who complain that the Governor’s actions are akin... (Continue reading)

San Luis Obispo County’s unemployment rate drops again

Written on 23 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 38 comments

For the fifth straight month, the jobless rate in San Luis Obispo County continued to fall increasing optimism of a prolonged economic recovery. The county unemployment rate fell from 10.5 percent in July to 8.8 percent in December, according to... (Continue reading)

Lompoc guard pleads guilty to inmate sex

Written on 23 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 14 comments

A former correctional officer at the Lompoc’s Federal Correctional Complex pleaded guilty last week to a charge of having unlawful sexual relations with a male inmate. Renee Noelle Gutierrez, 42, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a felony charge... (Continue reading)

Paul Brown’s car broken into, again

Written on 21 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 32 comments

During a Thursday night string of car burglaries in San Luis Obispo, a thief broke out former City Councilman Paul Brown’s car window and pilfered a few items. Police said seven cars were burglarized including four in the Oceanaire Drive... (Continue reading)

Attempted rape in San Luis Obispo

Written on 21 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 25 comments

Police are looking for three men accused of attempting to rape a teenager walking on a path that connects California Boulevard with Mustang Village in San Luis Obispo. The 19-year-old told police three men attacked her from behind and forced... (Continue reading)