August, 2022

SLO City Council votes to ban or limit watering turf

By KAREN VELIE The San Luis Obispo City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to ban the watering of ornamental turf at businesses and to ban the watering of turf and ornamental plants at residences during daytime hours. In response to... (Continue reading)

Pismo Beach and Morro Bay allotted $23 million in federal infrastructure funds

By KAREN VELIE The federal goverment announced Thursday the allocation of more than $23 million in infrastructure funding for recycled water projects in Pismo Beach and Morro Bay, according to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure... (Continue reading)

The obnoxious electric golf cart invasion of Cayucos

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)

102-year-old woman crashes into Santa Maria home

By JOSH FRIEDMAN A 102-year-old woman accidentally stepped on the gas, instead of the break, and slammed a Toyota Camry into the garage of her own home just outside of Santa Maria on Tuesday. Yet, she managed to escape with... (Continue reading)

Knife wielding man arrested after three-hour standoff in Isla Vista

By JOSH FRIEDMAN Following a three-hour standoff on Thursday, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man with a knife who lunged at a person at an Isla Vista apartment complex. Shortly after 11 a.m., 41-year-old Brandon Schaik attempted to... (Continue reading)

Paso Robles sex offender convicted of attempted bank robbery

By KAREN VELIE A jury yesterday found a  47-year-old sex offender from Paso Robles guilty of attempted bank robbery. He faces up to life in prison. In 2021, Andrew Gilbertson entered the Chase Bank on Niblick Road in Paso Robles... (Continue reading)

Former SLO police chief to retire from policing after cancer diagnosis

By JOSH FRIEDMAN Former San Luis Obispo police chief Deanna Cantrell revealed she is battling cancer for the second time and will retire from law enforcement by the end of the 2022, after spending more than 28 years in the... (Continue reading)

Monterey County fines cannabis grower $2.4 million

By KAREN VELIE A Monterey County judge fined a cannabis grower and two companies he headed $2.4 million last week for growing pot without the proper licenses. [Mercury News] In 2018 and 2019, Paul King was the CEO for two... (Continue reading)

SLO County COVID case rates drop to lowest level in more than a month

By KAREN VELIE The average number of new COVID infections in San Luis Obispo County dropped to the lowest levels in more than a month and a half, according to the SLO County Health Department. During the same time, the... (Continue reading)

Violent crime in San Luis Obispo increased in 2021

By JOSH FRIEDMAN Consistent with a statewide trend, the occurrence of crime is increasing in the city of San Luis Obispo. [KSBY] Both violent crime and property crime numbers rose in 2021. From 2020 to 2021, violent crime increased by... (Continue reading)