Daily Briefs


San Luis Obispo County unemployment rate falls to 4.2%

By KAREN VELIE The number of unemployed people in San Luis Obispo County began falling in February, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday. In SLO County, the number of unemployed residents dropped from 5,800 to 5,700 from January to... (Continue reading)

Officials identify inmate found dead at jail in Santa Maria

By KAREN VELIE Officials identified the female inmate found dead in her cell at the Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria on Monday as 57-year-old Caprice Fowler of Lompoc. Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office also reported the cause of death... (Continue reading)

Truck transporting horse trailer catches fire in Templeton

By RICHARD BASTIAN A truck transporting a horse trailer to a 50-mile race in New Cuyama caught fire in Templeton on Friday morning damaging the truck, but not harming the horse or its rider. Shortly before 10 a.m., smoke started... (Continue reading)

Federal prosecutors charge 20 illegal aliens for returning following removal

ICE arrests Illegal Aliens

By KAREN VELIE Federal prosecutors in the Central District of California working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) filed criminal charges this week against 20 illegal aliens who were allegedly in the United States following removal, the Justice Department... (Continue reading)

Grover Beach police arrest man for human trafficking

By KAREN VELIE As part of a human trafficking investigation, Grover Beach police detectives arrested a 34-year-old man on Thursday. Following the multi-week investigation, detectives contacted 34-year-old Henry Vincent Terronez of Porterville at a location in Arroyo Grande where he... (Continue reading)

Marshals seek help finding escaped inmate from Lompoc prison

By KAREN VELIE An inmate serving time for distribution of methamphetamine walked away from the satellite camp at the  Federal Correctional Complex in Lompoc on Thursday, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. At approximately 9:30 a.m., prison guards discovered... (Continue reading)

Candidate for this week’s dumbest criminal in San Luis Obispo

By KAREN VELIE San Luis Obispo police officers arrested a felon last month whom they found asleep in his car next to gas pumps at a local Chevron station with a needle and heroin on the center console. Shortly before... (Continue reading)

Why is Cal Poly seeking $25 million to keep swim and dive team?

By KAREN VELIE By KAREN VELIE Earlier this month, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo announced it had cut its swimming and diving programs effective immediately. Now, the campus administration wants $25 million to keep the program open. A legal settlement... (Continue reading)

Grover Beach officials again attempting to raise sewer rates

By KAREN VELIE Despite the citizens of Grover Beach voting in 2024 to repeal the city’s 112% water and sewer rate increase by more than 64%, the City Council voted on Monday to begin the process of raising sewer rates... (Continue reading)

San Luis Obispo’s St. Patrick’s Day enhancement zone recap

By KAREN VELIE In an attempt to reduce street parties, vandalism and alcohol related crimes; the San Luis Obispo Police Department enacted a safety enhancement zone for the two weekends near St. Patrick’s Day. SLO released data on citations and... (Continue reading)