2012

San Luis Obispo County accused of attempting to restrict free speech

By KAREN VELIE San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors are set to consider a draft ordinance on Tuesday that both conservative and liberal groups have dubbed an unconstitutional attempt by the county to squelch free speech and limit a... (Continue reading)

State parks hoarded $54 million, claimed budget shortfall

The director of California’s state parks resigned and a deputy was fired Friday following the discovery the  department had stashed away nearly $54 million in surplus money while parks were threatened with closures because of budget cuts. While the under-reported... (Continue reading)

Photos of the Mid-State Fair annual cattle drive

Tradition lived on in Paso Robles Wednesday as the annual cattle drive through city streets signaled the start of the California Mid-State Fair. A riderless horse was led along the route in memory of the late George Randolph Hearst Jr.,... (Continue reading)

Oceano district doesn’t get it

OPINION By JULIE TACKER If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?  If the Brown Act is not followed and no one is there to observe it, was... (Continue reading)

Fewer bail bonds mean more prisoners

By DANIEL BLACKBURN Fewer San Luis Obispo County arrestees are able to afford bail to get out of jail these days, causing grief for relatives and fiscal woes for local bail bond agents. One other result is an ongoing and... (Continue reading)

Cuesta College misses enrollment goal, focusing on next year

Even though Cuesta College expanded summer session attracted one of the largest student turnouts in years, it was not enough to qualify the college for $1.1 million in additional state funds this year, Superintendent/President Gil Stork announced. College officials plan... (Continue reading)

Paso Robles man found on tracks, died from a fall

An autopsy revealed the 59-year-old man found dead on the railroad tracks near 24th Street in Paso Robles Monday died after falling from a bridge. The Coroner’s Unit of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s determined that James Dahlgren died... (Continue reading)

Deputies seize 5,031 marijuana plants in North County

A two month investigation has led to the arrests of four people and the confiscation of 5,031 plants discovered in the Los Padres National Forest south of Santa Margarita Lake Road, according to a San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s press... (Continue reading)

Murdered woman’s son sentenced to life in prison

The schizophrenic man accused of killing his father and three others at an auto junkyard in Santa Maria in 2008 has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Leeds told the court he had not taken... (Continue reading)

Gearharts want their wedding ring back

By KAREN VELIE Former north San Luis Obispo County developer Kelly Gearhart and his wife Tamara Gearhart have asked a federal bankruptcy court in Ohio to allow them to purchase her wedding ring back for $814. As the result of... (Continue reading)