Daily Briefs


8.8 earthquake rocks Chile; tsunami warnings issued for Hawaii and California

A devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit Chile Saturday morning, setting off a tsunami threatening California, Hawaii, and every Pacific Ocean nation. [Washington Post] Interior Minister Edmundo Perez Yoma said this morning’s quake was the most powerful tremor to hit his... (Continue reading)

Cal Poly president agrees to help Haitian student

California Polytechnic State University President Warren Baker agreed on Friday to give in-state tuition to a Haitian born student who was slated to return to his native country without his civil engineering degree because he was unable to pay for... (Continue reading)

Vermont closes only nuclear power plant

For the first time in 20 years,  a state is closing down a nuclear power plant–and Central Coast activists are using the decision to press their case about Diablo Canyon. The Vermont Senate voted 26 to 4 this week to... (Continue reading)

Pilots want Oceano airport kept open

Local pilots are contacting CalCoastNews, expressing concern over attempts to close down tiny–but they say critical–Oceano Airport. The 59-acre general aviation facility apparently looms on the development radar. Pilots claim an unknown developer has retained the law firm of Chevalier,... (Continue reading)

Cal Poly ignores plight of Haitian student

Cal Poly’s only Haitian-born undergraduate student may have to return to his native country without his civil engineering degree because he is unable to pay for Spring Quarter tuition. Alcenat Honorat was sponsored into this country by a San Luis... (Continue reading)

Ex-UCSB engineer arrested for school death threats

A man who claims to be the anti-Christ was arrested last week on suspicion of making a bomb threat against the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB). [TriCityHerald] Neil Paul Baker, 51, a former UCSB Senior Development Engineer  was either... (Continue reading)

Despite $93 million, California weatherizes few homes

California’s weatherization program has finished retrofitting just 12 houses out of a planned 43,400 homes statewide, despite receiving $93 million in federal stimulus funds for the program. [California Watch] A just-released Department of Energy study shows that only five states... (Continue reading)

Round two in the Guth and Yaguda asset battle

The battle over the assets of Estate Financial principals Joshua Yaguda and Karen Guth is slated to resume next month. Earlier today, San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Jac Crawford continued the asset distribution hearing until next month when banks, developers... (Continue reading)

Legislature offers up $2 billion in budget cuts

State legislators, trying to deal with at least part of California’s $19.9 billion deficit, sent Gov. Schwarzenegger more than $2 billion in cuts. [San Jose Mercury News] At the top of the list: nearly $1 billion slashed from the state... (Continue reading)

Oceano Dunes air pollution study released

The long-awaited study by the Air Pollution Control District (APCD) on the Oceano Dunes has finally been issued and the first public workshop is scheduled for next week. The report, released Monday, suggests that the high levels of dust being... (Continue reading)