By KAREN VELIE Pacific Western Bank and Banc of California announced last week they completed a merger. The combined bank will now operate under the Banc of California name. Following the merger, Banc of California is now the third-largest bank... (Continue reading)
By KAREN VELIE A jury on Wednesday found a Santa Maria woman guilty of murdering a man whose remains were found on a Nipomo golf course in 2020. Following a trial in which 38-year-old Kimberly Machleit claimed self defense, the... (Continue reading)
By JOSH FRIEDMAN A judge sentenced a former Central Coast high school track coach on Friday to two years in prison for text messaging sexually explicit material to an underage student-athlete. In 2022, while serving as track coach at Pacifica... (Continue reading)
By KAREN VELIE The San Luis Obispo Police Department is asking for the public’s help identifying a man who allegedly stole purses from Nordstrom Rack and a woman who snatched items from the Boot Barn. Surveillance footage from the recently... (Continue reading)
By JOSH FRIEDMAN California Highway Patrol officers are searching for a semi-truck and its driver, who allegedly caused a collision on Highway 46 by the Shandon Rest Area Friday morning that left a Bay Area man in critical condition. Shortly... (Continue reading)
By JOSH FRIEDMAN Authorities tracked down the man who allegedly robbed a Santa Maria bank at knifepoint on Monday and arrested him in Los Angeles. Shortly after 8 a.m., a man armed with a knife forced his way into the... (Continue reading)
By KAREN VELIE A woman was hospitalized Wednesday after being struck by a car on Grand Avenue in Arroyo Grande. Shortly after 6 p.m., a caller reported a car had hit a pedestrian on Grand Avenue at the Highway 101... (Continue reading)
By JOSH FRIEDMAN Authorities arrested four suspects on murder charges over a 2002 shooting in a Santa Maria parking structure that killed a 17-year-old boy and left a woman wounded. Shortly before midnight on Feb. 4, 2022, multiple 911 callers... (Continue reading)
By JOSH FRIEDMAN A driver struck and injured a male pedestrian on Highway 1 near the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday morning. The pedestrian ran in front of the vehicle on southbound Highway 1 by Kansas Avenue at... (Continue reading)
By JOSH FRIEDMAN Santa Maria police detectives are searching for a man who robbed a bank at knifepoint Monday morning. Shortly after 8 a.m., a man armed with a knife forced his way into the Community West Bank branch at... (Continue reading)