Daily Briefs


Did Gearhart ‘own’ officials?

During his heyday, notorious land developer Kelly Gearhart “seemed to own” some of Atascadero’s city council members, says former mayor Mike Brennler in KCCN.tv’s newest installment of its ongoing series, “A County Corrupted: Part 2.” Brennler continues to be rebuffed... (Continue reading)

Dystiny Myers was beaten, hogtied and suffocated

Gruesome details about the murder of a Santa Maria teen Dystiny Myers were revealed today during a preliminary hearing for five suspects accused of killing the 15-year-old. [KEYT] Firefighters found the badly burned body of Myers in a shallow grave... (Continue reading)

Weather forecast for Monday February 7

Inland Temperatures, Paso Robles Actual Predicted Sun Mon ... (Continue reading)

Riding that vacation pay gravy train

Interesting figures recently released showing public employees cashing in big on vacation pay and other benefits. [San Francisco Chronicle] Case in point: San Francisco. Former Police Chief Heather Fong – who retired in 2009 – received a grand total of... (Continue reading)

AOL buys Huffington Post for $300 million

Wall Street and Internet users are waiting for the news, expected Monday morning that AOL will buy the liberal news web site The Huffington Post for an estimated $315 million. [NY Times] The high-profile deal, apparently sealed over the weekend... (Continue reading)

PG&E to hold South County forum on Smart Meters

PG&E will host a public forum Tuesday afternoon to address concerns South County residents have about wireless Smart Meters. The forum will be held at the South County Regional Center in Arroyo Grande from 3 to 5 p.m. Jess Brown,... (Continue reading)

Los Angeles promoting safe ecstasy use

Los Angeles County Health officials have posted tips for safe ecstasy use at the publicly owned Los Angeles Coliseum and Sports Arena. [LAWeekly] These health officials have embarked on a campaign to teach young people how to reduce potential harms... (Continue reading)

SLO plane crash victim dies

The passenger in the vintage plane that wrecked in San Luis Obispo on Thursday died Friday night at a local hospital. [KCOY] Obbie Atkinson, 86, suffered major injuries during the crash. The pilot, Jeff Welles, 66, was released from the... (Continue reading)

Cuesta College remains on probation

Though noting that some progress has been made, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) has decided that Cuesta College will remain on probation status. The ACCJC announced its decision in a letter sent this week to Cuesta... (Continue reading)

Target pays $22.5 million for dumping hazardous waste

As the new Target department store continues to spring up on Los Osos Valley Road, comes word that the parent company has agreed to pay $22.5 million to settle various claims throughout California alleging the retail giant dumped hazardous waste.... (Continue reading)