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State lottery increases your chance to win

Californians who buy lottery Scratcher tickets are winning more–and now playing more. [Ventura County Star] Scratcher sales leaped by $55 million in June, thanks to a change in state law allowing lottery officials to increase the percentage of revenues returned... (Continue reading)

Deputies destroy 31,000 marijuana plants

Californians may be getting ready to debate Proposition 19, the proposed legalization of marijuana this fall, but closer to home, law enforcement isn’t debating what to do about pot growers. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Deputies seized and destroyed approximately... (Continue reading)

New Times barred from city budget meeting

New Times was shown the door when a reporter tried to cover the first meeting of a new advisory committee, formed to provide input to the San Luis Obispo city manager on budget issues. [New Times] The Financial Sustainability Task... (Continue reading)

Who will be the new county sheriff?

An impressive primary performance by Ian Parkinson underscores the challenge facing runner-up Joe Cortez as the two face off in the general election to decide who will be the next San Luis Obispo County Sheriff. [Tribune] Parkinson, a San Luis... (Continue reading)

Cal Poly names interim engineering dean

Mohammad Noori will step down as dean of the engineering college on June 30 and Erling Smith, the vice provost for programs and planning, will assume the duties of the dean until a new dean is found, according to an... (Continue reading)

Summer Solstice Reggae Festival at Avila Beach Resort, event photos

Set against the rolling green slopes of the Avila hills, slightly reminiscent of the texture of dreads and rimmed by enough palm trees to feel like the tropics, the Summer Solstice Reggae Festival at Avila Beach Resort was one of... (Continue reading)

Election night cliffhanger: Blakeslee is close

Republican Sam Blakeslee came oh-so-close Tuesday night to clinching the state Senate race outright, but he fell short by only a handful of votes, leading observers to wonder whether there are uncounted absentee ballots remaining that might yet allow him... (Continue reading)

Dumb legislator of the week

Here’s our vote for the Dumb Legislator of the Week: The California Legislature is considering a proposal that would turn all license plates into mini-digital billboards for advertising. [Associated Press] State Sen. Curren Price (D-Los Angeles) is promoting the idea... (Continue reading)

Special election one week away

The special election to fill the state Senate seat of Abel Maldonado is now one week away and the environment, thanks to the British Petroleum oil spill, is dominating the race between Democrat John Laird and Republican Sam Blakeslee [Mercury... (Continue reading)

Questions surround Santa Margarita woman’s death

On the morning she died, Janet Lucille McCarthy had planned to take flight from a tumultuous marriage, friends told CalCoastNews. The 44-year-old Santa Margarita woman, and mother of three, was planning an extended vacation to her parents' home in Ohio to... (Continue reading)