Daily Briefs


Cal Poly’s innovative COVID-19 testing headed to market

By JOSH FRIEDMAN Cal Poly San Luis Obispo announced faculty members are going to market with a saliva-sampling COVID-19 testing device they developed in partnership with a Central Coast medical device manufacturer. In January, Cal Poly officials disclosed that 41... (Continue reading)

Armed man robs liquor store in San Luis Obispo

By JOSH FRIEDMAN Police are searching for a man who robbed the Laurel Lane Liquor in San Luis Obispo on Monday evening. Shortly after 8 p.m., the suspect entered the liquor store at 1291 Laurel Lane. After making a purchase,... (Continue reading)

SLO County COVID-19 case rates on the rise

By KAREN VELIE San Luis Obispo County’s new COVID-19 case rates are increasing, currently at levels last seen in early November. The upturn has some worried the county could be headed into another coronavirus surge. During the past four days,... (Continue reading)

Storm moving south after flooding and downed trees

By JOSH FRIEDMAN The strong storm system that reached the Central Coast at the start of this week brought flooding, downed trees, rockslides and power outages to San Luis Obispo County. The storm is now headed south. In a span... (Continue reading)

Shandon man sentenced to 36 years to life for murder

By JOSH FRIDMAN A judge sentenced a Shandon man on Monday to 36 years to life in prison for a fatal stabbing at a North County party in 2019. The fatal stabbing, which a San Luis Obispo jury found to... (Continue reading)

California reinstates statewide mask mandate

By KAREN VELIE As COVID-19 infections rise in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration renewed its mask mandate for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people — six months after lifting the last one. Newsom’s mandate follows a 47% increase in coronavirus case... (Continue reading)

Santa Margarita man sentenced to 100 years in prison

By KAREN VELIE The court sentenced a Santa Margarita man on Monday to 100 years to life in prison for sexually abusing multiple children over four decades. Michael Anthony Brians, 60, abused five girls between about 1983 and 2016. A... (Continue reading)

Storm leaves hundreds without power in SLO County

By KAREN VELIE Hundreds of San Luis Obispo County residents are starting their week in the dark. A strong storm system with heavy winds has knocked out power to hundreds of homes and businesses throughout the county. In the Shandon... (Continue reading)

Storm brings rain, road closures to Central Coast

By JOSH FRIEDMAN A series of storms is arriving on the Central Coast, and the rainfall could soak San Luis Obispo County through Christmas. In the initial storm, Central Coast locations could receive between three and five inches of rain... (Continue reading)

Gov. Newsom wants to model gun bill after Texas abortion law

By KAREN VELIE California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday announced plans to use a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a controversial law that limits abortions in Texas to develop legislation to provide members of the public an avenue for filing... (Continue reading)