Daily Briefs


Two Central Coast community colleges rank high

By LISA RIZZO Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria and Santa Barbara City College are named today as two of the best community colleges in the nation, according to the non-profit Aspen Institute. The schools are now eligible to compete... (Continue reading)

Marijuana doctor named in wrongful death lawsuit

The parents of a Cal Poly student who died after he was hit by a truck while walking on U.S. Highway 101 in San Luis Obispo filed a wrongful death lawsuit against three government agencies and a local doctor. [Tribune]... (Continue reading)

Weather forecast for Wednesday April 27

A ridge of high pressure in the upper atmosphere is producing gentle to moderate (8- to 18-mph) and at time gusty northeasterly (offshore) winds this morning. This offshore flow will produce clear and warmer weather today with temperatures reaching the... (Continue reading)

Students arrested for Arroyo Grande hate crime

Deputies arrested three teens on Monday night for the hate crime and vandalism that occurred at Mesa Middle School in Arroyo Grande on April 1. The teens broke into their former school and wrote anti-black and Jewish graffiti on the... (Continue reading)

Californians back public-employee pension reform

A majority of California voters support capping pensions and a later retirement age for current and future public employees to balance the state’s budget, according to a poll by the University of Southern California. [LATimes] Seventy percent of respondents supported... (Continue reading)

Blakeslee bill provides alternatives if State parks are closed

With budget cuts threatening California’s state parks, State Sen. Sam Blakeslee is supporting a bill to give local governments or private contractors a chance to take over operations of a closed state park for one to five years. [MercuryNews] A... (Continue reading)

Man dead, officer wounded in Orcutt

A “violent confrontation” with two sheriff deputies in Orcutt led to the shooting death of a San Juan Capistrano man Saturday afternoon. [SJCP] Santa Barbara Sheriff deputies fatally shot Kerry Flood, 52, at a mobile home park in Orcutt. The... (Continue reading)

Police and fire unions battle for binding arbitration

In response to a San Luis Obispo City Council vote to revisit the issue of binding arbitration, the city’s fire and police unions sent out a glossy brochure defending binding arbitration and their retirement packages. [Tribune] The pamphlet titled “We’re... (Continue reading)

Teens arrested for making death threats

Arroyo Grande Police arrested two juveniles on Friday for allegedly making threatening phone calls to at least seven Arroyo Grande High School students as well as numerous other victims throughout the country during the past two weeks. In some cases,... (Continue reading)

San Luis Obispo burglar detained by victim

A San Luis Obispo man and his friend stopped a burglar near the corner of Kentucky and Stafford streets shortly before 2:30 a.m. on Friday. Andrew Chisamore, 20, and a friend were walking home when they saw Matthew Wykoff, 19,... (Continue reading)