Home  »  Archives

Daily Briefs


Plastics industry editing California textbooks

Written on 21 Aug, 2011 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 29 comments

Under pressure from the American Chemistry Council, a lobbying group for the plastics industry, schools officials in California edited a new environmental curriculum to include positive messages about plastic shopping bags, interviews and documents show. [CaliforniaWatch] The rewritten textbooks and... (Continue reading)

Cal Fire planning another round of layoffs

Written on 20 Aug, 2011 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 13 comments

San Luis Obispo County Cal Fire officials are planning another round of layoffs after learning the state is slashing an additional $15.85 million from the wildland fire budget. “We are going to make the best choices when we make these... (Continue reading)

SLO County unemployment rises with government lay offs

Written on 19 Aug, 2011 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 19 comments

San Luis Obispo County lost 5,600 jobs in July increasing the unemployment rate from 9.9 percent in June to 10.5 percent in July, according to a report released Friday by the California Employment Development Department. Much of last month’s bump in... (Continue reading)

Paso Robles cop’s use of force: Still hurts one year later

Written on 18 Aug, 2011 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 81 comments

A woman who stole a bottle of water on a hot 90-plus degree day and was thrown to the baking asphalt by a Paso Robles cop, and held there as she pleaded to be moved off the pavement, still suffers... (Continue reading)

World’s largest rodent found in Paso Robles wastewater

Written on 17 Aug, 2011 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 37 comments

A species of the world’s largest rodent, a capybara, was discovered July 22 by Nick Camp at the Paso Robles Wastewater Treatment Plant. [Huffington Post] Kamp took photographs of the animal, which can grow up to weigh 145 pounds and... (Continue reading)

California home sales hit new low in July

Written on 17 Aug, 2011 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 8 comments

California home sales dropped to their lowest level in 16 years last month as potential buyers held off purchases because of unstable markets and fears stemming from the debt ceiling debate. [Business Week.com] An estimated 34,695 new and resale houses... (Continue reading)

Victim sues former city councilman Ed Arnold for alleged beating

Written on 17 Aug, 2011 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 4 comments

An Arroyo Grande city employee who was the alleged victim of a home burglary and physical beating by former city councilman Ed Arnold in 2009 is suing for bodily injuries and emotional distress. [The Tribune] Arnold, who pleaded no contest... (Continue reading)

Raising money for Baby Naya and Pastor Doug

Written on 16 Aug, 2011 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 7 comments

Friends and community leaders are coming forward to help two different Central Coast families face the tough challenge of paying unexpected medical bills. Jamie Maraviglia-Manalo, director of marketing at the Clark Center in Arroyo Grande, gave birth to a baby... (Continue reading)

PG&E missing key San Bruno documents

Written on 16 Aug, 2011 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 10 comments

New federal findings, released Monday, report that Pacific Gas & Electric is unable to find key documents about the section of natural gas pipeline that exploded last fall in San Bruno and has depended on faulty or nonexistent data to... (Continue reading)

Cell phone fines for drivers may increase

Written on 16 Aug, 2011 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 33 comments

Legislation that would significantly increase fines for drivers who talk on cell phones or text was approved Monday and needs only Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature. [Chronicle] The bill, SB 28, also prohibits bicyclists from texting or talking on a phone,... (Continue reading)