Featured


A 1/2 cent or a 1/2 percent sales tax?

By LAURA MORDAUNT Words used in the San Luis Obispo County Measure J-16 on the Nov. 8 ballot will mislead voters by stating a ½ cent sales tax instead of what it truly is ½ percent sales tax increase. When... (Continue reading)

Reward offered in search for sea otter killer

A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the capture of person or persons responsible for fatally shooting three sea otters off the Central Coast. In mid-August, the bodies of two juvenile males and one adult male otter... (Continue reading)

Cold case probe leads to arrest for 1988 Montecito murder

Twenty-eight years following the murder of a 46-year-old Montecito man, cold case detectives used DNA evidence to identify the suspect. Detectives then located the man inside a Florida jail. Larry Lon Lee, 52, is now facing extradition to Santa Barbara... (Continue reading)

Grover Beach hit-and-run leads to drug bust

After causing an accident in a Grover Beach shopping center parking lot and then fleeing, a Shell Beach man was arrested for selling prescription pills. A Clovis man who was also in the vehicle was arrested as well. Around 6:12... (Continue reading)

Lawsuit alleges PG&E contractor caused 51-acre fire

Two employees of a PG&E subcontractor caused a 51-acre fire that burned a hillside and multiple groves of large trees belonging to a North County family, according to a lawsuit filed against the utility and the contractor. [Tribune] On Nov.... (Continue reading)

Grover Beach needs new leadership

OPINION by ELIZABETH DOUKAS Last week, the California Fair Political Practices Commission levied fines against Grover Beach Mayor John Shoals because of campaign violations that could have swayed the voting public. Mayor Shoals responded in the Tribune saying, “I paid... (Continue reading)

Firefighter injured in new blaze near Lake Nacimiento

A firefighter suffered burns and was airlifted to a hospital Wednesday while battling a new blaze that broke out near Lake Nacimiento. The firefighter’s condition is currently unclear. [KCOY] At 1:25 p.m., firefighters responded to a fire burning east of... (Continue reading)

Protecting Arroyo Grande’s water supply

Opinion by Arroyo Grande Mayor Jim Hill Last year, backed by the threat of huge fines, California required Arroyo Grande to cut water usage by 28 percent city-wide. Experiencing unprecedented drought, our residents achieved 37 percent water savings last year.... (Continue reading)

Central Coast cities rank among least safe in California

Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach rank among the 30 least safe cities in California, according to a report released by a research and analysis website. The rankings are based on a variety of FBI crime metrics, and... (Continue reading)

California mandatory prison bill passes after Stanford sexual assault

The California State Assembly voted 66-0 in favor of a bill that would mandate prison sentences for anyone convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious person. The bill now heads to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk. [NPR] In June, former Stanford student... (Continue reading)