Daily Briefs


San Luis Obispo Tribune putting up a paywall

The San Luis Obispo Tribune announced it plans to start charging readers on Dec. 5 for online access. Online viewers who do not already subscribe to the paper will be prompted, after viewing 15 pages in a 30-day period, to... (Continue reading)

Southern California embracing water desalination

A Southern California water agency approved a contract Thursday to buy the entire output of what would be the Western Hemisphere’s largest seawater desalination plant, clearing the way for construction to begin early next year. [TimesUnion] The San Diego County... (Continue reading)

SLO thieves targeting MacBook laptop computers

During a rash of home burglaries near the Cal Poly campus in San Luis Obispo, thieves absconded with 15 MacBook Pro laptop computers. On Friday and Saturday, thieves broke into five residences grabbing the laptops while leaving other valuables behind.... (Continue reading)

Man shoots and seriously injures estranged wife

Grover Beach Police are searching for a man who allegedly shot his estranged wife on Saturday around 9 p.m. William Roger Forgey, 46, of Roseville shot his wife at a home on the 800 block of Mentone Avenue and then... (Continue reading)

Lucia Mar Unified School bus driver arrested for dealing meth

A traffic stop of a Lucia Mar Unified School District school bus on Thursday led to the arrest of the driver for possession of methamphetamine for sale. At about 2 p.m., before she had picked up any children, 31-year-old April... (Continue reading)

Megastorms could flood portions of California’s Central Coast

Editor’s note: The article will appear in the January 2013 issue of Scientific American. They are making it freely available now because of the flooding underway in California. By Michael D. Dettinger and B. Lynn Ingram Huge flows of vapor... (Continue reading)

ASH fined for assaults on employees

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health fined Atascadero State Hospital $27,000 for an ongoing pattern of patient assaults on employees. A Cal/OSHA investigation determined that from January to September patients caused an average of 10 injuries per month... (Continue reading)

Santa Maria woman’s torture trial starts next week

A Santa Maria woman who allegedly punished her then 2-year-old daughter for playing with her makeup by holding the child’s hands in scalding tap water almost three years ago is scheduled to begin trial next week. [SantaMariaTimes] Lorena Arenas, 26,... (Continue reading)

Hash oil lab causes explosion in Morro Bay

Morro Bay police discovered a hash oil lab Wednesday after responding to a gas explosion that burned a man. [Tribune] An explosion around 4:30 p.m. blew out the windows of a Morro Bay duplex on the 800 block of Napa... (Continue reading)

Union Bank to lay off up to 400 Central Coast employees

Union Bank officials are heading up the coast from Santa Barbara, through San Luis Obispo County to Monterey, handing out layoff notices to hundreds of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust employees at 14 branches, several employees said. Union Bank’s purchase... (Continue reading)