Daily Briefs


Armed robber pistol whips clerk

Paso Robles Police are looking for a man who robbed a donut shop and pistol whipped an employee late Monday night. The suspect, a white man with a scarf covering his face, entered DK’s Donuts on Spring Street around 10... (Continue reading)

Weather forecast for April 5

The 1,024 millibar high over California responsible for yesterday's beautiful weather will weaken and move eastward today. A dry cold front will sweep southeastward over the Central Coast later today with cooler temperatures and coastal low clouds and fog tonight into... (Continue reading)

The Novel Experience to close

In 1989, a bibliophile in San Luis Obispo could enjoy any number of local, independently-owned bookstores downtown: Phoenix, Leon’s, Norwood’s, Gaby’s, Bookland, and the mighty Earthling (where Natural Cafe stands today). Plus Mrs. Nybak, wife of painter Arne Nybak, had... (Continue reading)

Abel Maldonado fined for nondisclosure

After a lengthy investigation, former Lt. Gov. and Central Coast state senator Abel Maldonado has agreed to pay a $28,000 fine for committing 14 campaign violations in 2004 through 2008. California campaign rules require the transparency of donors and contributors.... (Continue reading)

AT&T’s profanity loophole

AT&T is rolling out limitations on heavy internet use with a profanity loophole. [LATimes] Customers who hog a lot of bandwidth by downloading high definition movies, pictures or music will be charged on a water like meter system. As of... (Continue reading)

Oceano CSD emergency meeting for Sunday

UPDATE: Amid concerns that appointing two board members would result in a quorum not elected by the people, the Oceano Community Service District board voted 3-0 to appoint two directors by June 2. The vote came after the public voiced... (Continue reading)

Half Moon Bay shuts down police department

Half Moon Bay has closed down its 12-member police department and will begin outsourcing the work to neighboring towns or the county sheriff. [San Francisco Chronicle] Officials say that the coastal town of 13,000 had little choice given dire budget... (Continue reading)

Democrats want gays in California textbooks

Democrats in Sacramento intend to introduce legislation requiring California public schools to teach about the contributions of gay, lesbian, and transgender Americans. [LA Times] A similar bill was passed five years ago, only to be vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.... (Continue reading)

California teachers’ pension fund $56 billion in the red

CalSTRS, the nation’s largest teachers’ retirement fund, said on Thursday that its unfunded liabilities grew to $56 billion in the fiscal year that ended in June, an increase of $15.5 billion. [SacramentoBee] The gap between the fund’s assets and its... (Continue reading)

Radioactive milk not that radioactive

Radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan has blown over to the Central Coast and turned up in milk from Cal Poly’s dairy. On Thursday, the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department reported trace amounts of radiation... (Continue reading)