Home  »  Archives

Daily Briefs


Red wine researcher besmirched

Written on 13 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 7 comments

Red wine’s benefits to cardiovascular health have been extolled for years, and now an East Coast researcher known for his research on the issue is being accused of falsifying data. [SF Chronicle] Behavior of Dipak Das of the University of... (Continue reading)

Deputy rescues kidnapped teenager

Written on 12 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 58 comments

During a routine traffic stop, a deputy discovered a teenage passenger who had been forcibly kidnapped from her Vandenberg Village home late Saturday evening and then arrested her kidnapper. Early Sunday morning, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff deputy stopped a... (Continue reading)

Breathe easy… fire up a joint

Written on 12 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 36 comments

Light to moderate smoking of marijuana might not have any injurious effects on lung health, and may actually improve lung capacity, a new study by scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham contends. [Reuters] Dr. Stefan Kertesz, who worked... (Continue reading)

SLO County votes in plastic bag ban

Written on 12 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 49 comments

Following impassioned arguments for and against the use of plastic bags, the San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority’s board voted Wednesday to ban single-use plastic bags countywide in most stores, beginning in October, and to mandate stores charge... (Continue reading)

Non-profit administrator sentenced to jail

Written on 11 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 20 comments

A woman accused of embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from two local non-profits was sentenced to six months in San Luis Obispo County Jail and three years probation on Friday. In November, Morgan Rafferty, 48, pleaded no contest to... (Continue reading)

Pills recalled after potential mix-up

Written on 11 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 5 comments

The Food and Drug Administration is warning the public to watch for the potential mix-up of several over the counter medicines and prescription pain killers. [WallStreetJournal] “Novartis is recalling 1,645 lots of its Excedrin, NoDoz, Bufferin and Gas-X medicines because... (Continue reading)

SLO County plastic bag ban vote set

Written on 10 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 26 comments

The San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority’s board is slated to vote today on a proposed law to ban single-use plastic bags countywide in most stores, beginning in October. If approved, the bag ban would outlaw the use... (Continue reading)

Sierra Club loses Oceano Dunes case on appeal

Written on 10 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 63 comments

The local chapter of the Sierra Club lost its appeal on Monday to force off-road vehicles from a portion of the Oceano Dunes that the state rents from San Luis Obispo County. In 2008, the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit claiming... (Continue reading)

Brown’s tax plan falls short

Written on 9 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 22 comments

A tax hike that Gov. Jerry Brown plans to put before voters in November will raise less than he hoped, according to the Legislative Analyst, which probably will require much deeper budget cuts than previously anticipated. The plan would raise... (Continue reading)

Atascadero lender’s sentencing delayed

Written on 9 Jan, 2012 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 15 comments

An Atascadero man awaiting sentencing on federal fraud charges was given a few more months of freedom after a judge delayed his sentencing hearing from March 26 to June 25, according to a court order. James Hurst Miller, the former... (Continue reading)