Daily Briefs


Forward spread of Madre Fire stopped, Highway 166 reopens

By KAREN VELIE With cooler temperatures and reduced winds, firefighters were able to stop the forward spread of the Madre Fire burning in San Luis Obispo County. Highway 166 reopened on Tuesday evening. The Madre Fire has scorched 80,610 acres... (Continue reading)

Arroyo Grande police holding DUI checkpoint Friday night

By KAREN VELIE Arroyo Grande police plan to conduct a DUI checkpoint in the South County city at an undisclosed location on Friday evening from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Officers select the DUI checkpoint location based on a history... (Continue reading)

Firefighters battle Madre Fire before higher winds and heat return

By KAREN VELIE More than 1,500 firefighters are working to increase containment of the Madre Fire burning in San Luis Obispo County as warmer and winder conditions are slated to return on Wednesday through Thursday. Propelled primarily by heavy winds,... (Continue reading)

Man shot, killed in Santa Maria

By KAREN VELIE The Santa Maria Police Department is investigating the death of a man who was shot and killed on July 4. Shortly after 11 p.m., a caller reported a shooting in the 300 block of West Lolita Lane.... (Continue reading)

California rejects Trump administration demand to ban trans athletes

By KAREN VELIE California Department of Education officials on Monday rejected the Trump administration’s demand that the state ban transgender athletes from girl’s sports. On June 25, the Trump administration announced that the California Department of Education had violated civil... (Continue reading)

Young black bear wanders around Pismo Beach

By KAREN VELIE A young black bear wandered around Pismo Beach on Monday afternoon leading officials to temporarily shut down a Highway 101 offramp. Shortly after 4 p.m., officials shut down the Highway 101 offramp at Hinds Avenue after the... (Continue reading)

SLO County seeks public’s help identifying Templeton arson suspects

By KAREN VELIE The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help identifying the suspects in an arson fire at the Templeton Feed & Grain on July 4. Detectives are working to identify four to six individuals... (Continue reading)

Grover Beach police cited 12 people for fireworks violations

By KAREN VELIE Grover Beach officers issued 12 citations for firework violations on July 4 through July 6, including one for $10,000. Last month, Grover Beach enacted an ordinance designed to curtail illegal firework activity. The Social Host Ordinance holds... (Continue reading)

Madre Fire in SLO County at 80,480 acres, one firefighter injured

By KAREN VELIE One firefighter was injured battling the Madre Fire. The blaze has scorched 80,480 acres and destroyed one outbuilding in rural San Luis Obispo County. Firefighters have achieved 30% containment. The firefighter injury was reported on Sunday. Further... (Continue reading)

SLO County gas prices continue dropping, find lowest costs

By KAREN VELIE Even though California’s new gas tax increased from 59.6 to 61.2 cents per gallon on July 1, the average gas price in San Luis Obispo dropped one cent to $4.99 a gallon last week, according to figures... (Continue reading)