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Medicare fraud plan working

Written on 18 Apr, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 20 comments

Medicare fraud is being battled by a yearlong experiment with competitive bidding for wheelchairs, diabetic supplies and personal medical equipment, and the results appear to show significant savings of taxpayer dollars. [San Francisco Chronicle] According to government officials, the effort... (Continue reading)

Teacher-student sex bill sidelined

Written on 18 Apr, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 6 comments

Democrats in the Assembly Public Safety Committee killed a proposal Tuesday that would have made sexual relationships and communications between teachers and students a felony — even when the participants are adults. [Sacramento Bee] Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen (R-Modesto) introduced her... (Continue reading)

Wine, weed, and a new buzz

Written on 17 Apr, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 13 comments

Marijuana-laced wine may be coming to the Central Coast. In fact, it may already be here. [DailyBeast] While wine fermented with cannabis is nothing new — it gained a level of popularity in the 1980s — it appears to be... (Continue reading)

SLO County denies allegations in retaliation lawsuit

Written on 17 Apr, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 12 comments

San Luis Obispo County officials said they are not liable for civil damages sought by a former sheriff deputy who contends he was retaliated against and eventually terminated after he reported multiple abuses of policy by department heads. In a... (Continue reading)

Violence increasing at California state mental hospitals

Written on 16 Apr, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 3 comments

Assaults by patients at California’s state mental hospitals have escalated and confinements times have increased while  a costly federal effort to reduce heavy drugging and improper restraining failed to improve care and help patients control violent impulses. [LATimes] In 2006,... (Continue reading)

Cal Poly faculty to vote on strike

Written on 16 Apr, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 30 comments

Faculty at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo will begin voting today on whether the faculty will grant their union, the California Faculty Association, the authority to call a strike, according to the association’s website. The end of mediation sets... (Continue reading)

Former Arroyo Grande teacher arrested for child sex

Written on 14 Apr, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 6 comments

A former Arroyo Grande High School music teacher was arrested last week in Bakersfield and charged with two felony counts of child sex abuse. [BakersfieldNow] Luke Youngs, 34, is being charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child and lewd... (Continue reading)

Solomon costs taxpayers more than $300,000

Written on 13 Apr, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 131 comments

Paso Robles city officials have already spent about $330,000 dealing with allegations of sexual and managerial misconduct by former police Chief Lisa Solomon. [Tribune] A cost that is likely to increase as the city battles lawsuits already filed or in... (Continue reading)

Scolari’s to close California stores

Written on 13 Apr, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 6 comments

Scolari’s Markets announced Thursday they plan to close all four Central Coast locations in the next 60 days. On Thursday after lunch, managers informed employees at the San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Pismo Beach and Santa Barbara stores that the... (Continue reading)

Workers’ comp premiums may rise

Written on 13 Apr, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 19 comments

A proposal Thursday by a state insurance rating agency may cost employers more for their employees’ work-related injury and illness premiums. The planned rate of increase, 4.1 percent, is smaller than in previous years but is expected to ignite yet... (Continue reading)