Daily Briefs


ASH patient attacks elderly worker

An Atascadero State Hospital patient attacked an elderly psychiatric technician Wednesday night, leaving the ASH employee hospitalized in the intensive care unit. [KSBY] The patient attacked a male psychiatric technician in a hallway at ASH shortly after 9:30 p.m., according... (Continue reading)

Public comment on Phillips 66 rail spur drags on

More than 100 public speakers addressed the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission Thursday during the agency’s third hearing on the Phillip 66’s proposed rail spur. The planning commission has yet to start deliberating about the project. Phillips 66 plans... (Continue reading)

Leland Yee sentenced to five years in prison

Former Democratic State Sen. Leland Yee received a five-year prison sentence for vote selling. Yee was arrested in 2014 after an FBI sting caught him promising votes and guns to an undercover agent who was funneling him contributions. [LA Times]... (Continue reading)

Santa Barbara man sentenced for raping homeless women

A 35-year-old Santa Barbara man received a 32-year prison sentence Wednesday for raping two homeless women. Daniel Rico Fabian, 35, previously pleaded no contest to two counts of forcible rape, according to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office. Both... (Continue reading)

Morro Bay man leads CHP on wild cross-county chase

A Morro Bay man led California Highway Patrol officers on a chase across both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties that ended with him hanging off a cliff and clinging to a knife. Officers captured Trevor Michael Crain, but... (Continue reading)

SLO County considering cloud seeding

At a hearing on water supply options for South County, a public works official said San Luis Obispo County staffers are looking into the possibility of increasing rainfall by cloud seeding. [Tribune] Cloud seeding is a type of weather modification... (Continue reading)

Mistrial declared in murder case of elderly Solvang woman

A Santa Maria judge declared a mistrial Tuesday in the case of a 90-year-old Solvang woman who is accused of murdering her terminally ill daughter. The mistrial occurred, in part, because jurors watched media coverage of a separate verdict in... (Continue reading)

California Republicans dwindling, independents rising

Republican Party membership is on the decline in California, while an increasing number of voters are registering “no party preference.” Democratic Party membership in California has flat lined recently, according to a report issued Monday by Secretary of State Alex... (Continue reading)

Human remains found in rural Arroyo Grande

A man found a skull and bones while walking around his property in rural Arroyo Grande. The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office says the skull and bones are the remains of a young Native American, but investigators have yet... (Continue reading)

Paso Robles motorcyclist killed in Central Valley

A 45-year-old Paso Robles man died Saturday after crashing his motorcycle in Fresno County. The CHP has identified the victim as Ronnie Allen Ochoa. [Fresno Bee] Around 7:30 p.m., Ochoa was riding east of Coalinga, heading southbound on Sutter Avenue.... (Continue reading)