Daily Briefs


Santa Maria road rage suspect stands off with police for hours

By JOSH FRIEDMAN A Santa Maria road rage suspect rammed an armored vehicle and engaged in a standoff with SWAT officers and other law enforcement personnel for more than five hours on Saturday. Prior to the standoff, a witness reported... (Continue reading)

Firefighters extinguish blaze burning under Harford Pier in Avila Beach

By KAREN VELIE Firefighters quickly extinguished a fire burning under a restaurant on the Hatford Pier in Avila Beach on Sunday afternoon, according to Cal Fire. Shortly after 2:20 p.m., a caller reported a fire burning under Mersea’s Seafood Restaurant... (Continue reading)

Customs officers in California find $5 million worth of meth disguised as watermelons

By JOSH FRIEDMAN United States Customs and Border Protection officers in Southern California earlier this month discovered a purported watermelon shipment that contained more than $5 million worth of methamphetamine.  Officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility in San Diego... (Continue reading)

Lompoc teen rescues drowning boy at Lake Nacimiento

By KAREN VELIE Park rangers gave a shout out to a Lompoc teen who rescued a drowning boy at Lake Nacimiento last week. On Aug. 18, 13 -year-old Lazaro Perez was visiting Lake Nacimiento Resort with his family when he... (Continue reading)

Group sues San Luis Obispo County over endangered steelhead trout

By KAREN VELIE Four environmental groups filed a lawsuit on Aug. 13 over alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act in federal district court to stop San Luis Obispo County from operating Lopez Dam in a manner that drives threatened... (Continue reading)

SLO County gas prices dropping, electric remains flat

By KAREN VELIE The average price for a gallon of gas in San Luis Obispo County fell seven cents to $4.84 during the past month while electric prices remain unchanged, according to figures from AAA. In California, the average price... (Continue reading)

More than 1,300 PG&E customers without power in north SLO County

By KAREN VELIE A widespread power outage from Templeton to Lake Nacimiento has left 1,327 PG&E customers without power on Saturday evening. Residents first reported the outage at 6:38 p.m. PG&E crew are attempting to discover the cause of the... (Continue reading)

Avoid prosecution through Central California whistleblower program

By KAREN VELIE A new federal whistleblower pilot program in California encourages individuals to disclose criminal conduct in order to avoid prosecution, according to an announcement by U. S. Attorney Martin Estrada. The program is designed to prompt individuals to... (Continue reading)

Paso Robles juvenile starts one brush fire, attempts to start another

By KAREN VELIE Paso Robles police on patrol spotted a brush fire in the area of N. River and Union roads on Friday morning. As officers drove closer to the fire they spotted a male juvenile running away from the... (Continue reading)

Firefighters battle home fire in Paso Robles, photos

By KAREN VELIE Firefighters responded quickly to a house fire in Paso Robles on Friday afternoon, putting out the fire burning in the back of the house before it spread to the rest of the home. Shortly after 3 p.m.,... (Continue reading)