Daily Briefs


Fighting firefighter faces felony trial

A San Luis Obispo Superior Court judge ruled this week that John Ryan Mason, an off-duty firefighter who brawled at a June wedding, will go to trial. Judge Michael Duffy said there is sufficient evidence for trial to proceed. Mason,... (Continue reading)

District redraw sparks Templeton discord

Templeton has become the epicenter of a protracted effort to initiate so-called “smart growth” policies in the rural community, and current plans for redrawing supervisors’ district lines “push that agenda” and are blatantly political, one outspoken resident maintains. Bill Pelfrey, an... (Continue reading)

Plea agreement reached in Hurst Financial fraud case

A former Atascadero lender has agreed to plead guilty to charges of swindling as many as 1,200 investors out of more than $100 million in a fraudulent investment scheme, according to the court docket. James Hurst Miller and federal prosecutors agreed... (Continue reading)

Bronze memorial vandalized

A San Luis Obispo city-owned bronze sculpture, sentimental to the Chinese community, is damaged after being vandalized several times within the last six months. Two bronze parts of the Chinese Iron Road Pioneers statue, which sits in San Luis Obispo’s... (Continue reading)

Cal Poly knew, ignored coach’s transgressions

Cal Poly officials have known for years that serious, repetitive allegations against women’s volleyball coach Jon Stevenson were credible, but ignored the ample evidence and refused to act until prodded by imminent newspaper exposure. [NewTimes] Stevenson started this season as... (Continue reading)

Baby Naya dies after six weeks in hospital

Naya Jane Manalo, the seven-week-old Nipomo baby girl who waged an uphill battle against an ecoli infection almost from the day she was born, died Wednesday at a Los Angeles hospital. The baby’s mother, Jamie Maraviglia-Manalo, director of marketing for... (Continue reading)

Supervisors want place on quake panel

In a decision steeped in unspoken suspicion, San Luis Obispo County supervisors Tuesday sought to install their own earthquake expert on a panel now eying Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, and to have PG&E ratepayers offset the $70,000 a year... (Continue reading)

John Laird will not run for state Senate

John Laird announced today that he will not run for the State Senate in 2012. “This was not an easy decision to make,” Laird said in a press release. “Serving the Central Coast in the State Assembly was one of... (Continue reading)

Flooding fix sought by supervisors

Oceano’s annual winter flooding will be addressed by San Luis Obispo County officials with a short-term solution search in order to deal with looming inclement weather. No “simple fixes” exist for the long term, according to one county supervisor. Supervisor... (Continue reading)

ASH patient accused of attempted rape

A patient at the Atascadero State Hospital was arrested for the attempted rape of a hospital employee, kidnapping and indecent exposure. At about 11:30 a.m. on September 6, hospital officials said Leroy Parker, 35, assaulted an unnamed employee.  Her coworkers... (Continue reading)