2021

Alcohol and reckless driving lead to three-vehicle crash in Morro Bay

By JOSH FRIEDMAN A DUI driver allegedly blew through a stop sign after exiting Highway 1 in Morro Bay Friday evening, causing a three-car collision, during which a motorcycle came flying out of a truck bed and struck a vehicle.... (Continue reading)

Official guide to furnishing a Cayucos beach shack

Editor’s Note: The following series, “Life in Radically Gentrifying Cayucos by the Sea,” to be posted biweekly includes the notes, thoughts, and opinions of an original American voice: author Dell Franklin.  Franklin’s memoir, “Life On The Mississippi, 1969,” is currently... (Continue reading)

COVID-19 case up slightly in SLO County, four new deaths

By KAREN VELIE After seven weeks of declining COVID-19 rates, San Luis Obispo County reported a slight increase in new cases over the past week from a daily average of 37 on Oct. 15 to 42 on Oct. 22, and... (Continue reading)

Suspect in grisly Oceano murder visited the victim’s home

By JOSH FRIEDMAN The man accused of murdering 90-year-old Oceano activist Lawrence “Larry” Bross visited the victim’s home and had another encounter with him shortly before his death. [Tribune] David James Krause also had a tool in his possession similar... (Continue reading)

FPPC slams San Simeon official, focuses on harm to community

By KAREN VELIE The California Fair Political Practices Commission voted Thursday not to approve a penalty agreement with San Simeon’s general manager because it did not adequately describe the public harm Charlie Grace’s misconduct has had on the community. The... (Continue reading)

Paul Flores pleads not guilty to the murder of Kristin Smart

By KAREN VELIE Paul Flores pleaded not guilty Wednesday morning at his arraignment on a murder charge. Paul Flores is accused of murdering Cal Poly San Luis Obispo freshman Kristin Smart during an attempted rape in 1996. If convicted, Paul... (Continue reading)

Attorney and rapist sentenced to more than 100 years in prison

By JOSH FRIEDMAN A Santa Barbara County judge sentenced an attorney from Nevada who moved to the Isla Vista area in his “Mirror Bus” and repeatedly sexually assaulted women to more than 100 years. Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies began... (Continue reading)

Santa Margarita man guilty of child molestation

By JOSH FRIEDMAN A Santa Margarita man who sexually abused girls over a span of more than three decades will likely spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted on Wednesday of felony sex crimes against three... (Continue reading)

San Luis Obispo rejects pot shop’s attempt to sway city officials

By KAREN VELIE In what appeared to be a staged attempt, more than 30 employees of cannabis businesses tied to Helios Dayspring protested in front of San Luis Obispo City Hall on Tuesday to pressure the city counsel to overrule... (Continue reading)

SLO man arrested for transforming home and yard into illegal pot grow

By KAREN VELIE San Luis Obispo police officers arrested a 26-year-old man last week for allegedly transforming his home and yard into an illegal cannabis grow, police said. In 2020, officers charged Spencer Jefferson with illegal cultivation of marijuana at... (Continue reading)