Daily Briefs


Phillips 66 rail spur likely to get planning commission approval

The San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission has indicated it will approve a scaled-down version of Phillips 66’s proposed rail spur. Commissioners are expected to voted 3-2 in favor of the project at a meeting in September. Phillips 66 plans... (Continue reading)

Teen stabbed at San Miguel Park

An attacker stabbed a 15-year-old boy in the stomach at San Miguel Park Monday afternoon. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputies questioned a person of interest, but the attacker reportedly remains on the loose. At about 3 p.m., deputies responded... (Continue reading)

California may spend $10 million on earthquake warning system

California Gov. Jerry Brown has reversed course and proposed allocating $10 million in state funds toward an earthquake early warning system that federal government scientists and university researchers are developing. United States Geological Survey officials say the state funds would... (Continue reading)

Federal agency may close Guadalupe-Nipomo wildlife refuge

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering closing the remote Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge for the next 15 years. Though the federal agency’s budget is growing, its fund for managing the national refuge system is shrinking. The Guadalupe-Nipomo... (Continue reading)

Cal Poly students again angered by plan to develop farmland

For the second time in the span of a year, Cal Poly agriculture students are protesting a university plan to develop farmland. The new proposal targets land where cattle graze, and it has angered dairy science students. Last June, a... (Continue reading)

Manslaughter defendant stomped on unconscious victim

One of the defendants on trial for killing a San Miguel man in 2014 appears to stomp on the victim as he lies unconscious outside the Elkhorn bar, in a video shown to jurors on Thursday. [Tribune] On Sept. 7,... (Continue reading)

Strawberry production down, farmers take a hit

By John Lindt, publisher of Sierra 2 the Sea During the past year, acreage dedicated to strawberries in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties is down 25 percent. Acreage dropped from 8,305 in 2015 to 7,100 acres in the... (Continue reading)

Santa Maria company plans to lay off 168 employees

By John Lindt, publisher of Sierra 2 the Sea Santa Maria’s largest private employer, French-owned Zodiac Aerospace, will lay off 168 workers on June 22, according to a state notice published this week. The company employs about 1,800 workers in... (Continue reading)

Fire blows out window of Oceano home

A fire at a studio home in Oceano on Thursday blew out a window and scorched a porch, but firefighters knocked down the blaze before it could cause significant damage. Around 2:30 p.m., the fire ignited on the porch of... (Continue reading)

Underwear clad lawyer body-slams thief in SLO

Clad only in a pair of boxer briefs and slippers, a San Luis Obispo attorney chased a thief up a hill early Tuesday morning, caught up with the suspect and body-slammed him onto the ground. When police officers arrived, they... (Continue reading)