Gearhart’s $28 million Paso project imperiled

By DANIEL BLACKBURN and KAREN VELIE It’s only a few second’s drive time between the weathered plywood sign on Paso Robles' Jardine Road announcing the imminent approach of “Vista del Hombre,” and its equally unimpressive, unmarked entrance, but that brief moment... (Continue reading)

County rules tighten for indigent law services

By KAREN VELIE County administrators have pulled the plug on easy, free legal counsel for the indigent. In a move resulting in considerable confusion and contention, San Luis Obispo County’s Probation Department recently began billing indigent individuals who have claimed the right... (Continue reading)

COMMENTARY: Gearhart’s museum offer mystifying

By DANIEL BLACKBURN and KAREN VELIE Generosity occurs for very few reasons. Kelly Gearhart, a North County property developer known for his altruism, has donated space to the Atascadero Historical Society for its museum. Gearhart wants to let the society house its... (Continue reading)

Cal Poly computer guru probe may be illegal

By DANIEL BLACKBURN and KAREN VELIE A reproachful e-mail besmirching a Southern California man sent to a popular San Luis Obispo County radio talk show host may spell big legal troubles for a Cal Poly Internet technician and the university. Don Carver... (Continue reading)

Game’s over: Baker will ink Poly-Saudi pact

By KAREN VELIE Cal Poly President Warren Baker will sign a controversial agreement to partner Cal Poly’s College of Engineering with a Saudi Arabian university despite growing campus discord with the plan. The Saudi proposal would appear to exclude women, Jews and... (Continue reading)

County gag on volunteers will be voided

By DANIEL BLACKBURN A newly-issued official policy prohibiting public comment by volunteers at the county animal shelter is being revised. San Luis Obispo County supervisors Bruce Gibson and Katcho Achadjian told UncoveredSLO.com Monday that changes are being made in Animal Services Division’s... (Continue reading)

Problems for ex-Trib publisher Par Ridder

Remember P. Anthony (Par) Ridder Jr., the man thought by many in this county to have aided the decline of The Tribune while its publisher a few years back? Ever wonder what happened to Par after he departed these parts for the St.... (Continue reading)

COMMENTARY: Bugs on the wall in City Hall

By KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN There’s a tight clamp on information coming out of Atascadero City Hall, what with the FBI hanging out and all, so it’s been tough to get information out of those hallowed confines, stuff like this….... (Continue reading)

New Times has new editor

San Luis Obispo’s weekly New Times has a new editor. He’s Ed Connolly, according to New Times General Manager Bob Rucker. Ryan Miller will return to his old post at New Times’ sister publication, the Santa Maria Sun, which he edited... (Continue reading)

Quiescent county Web site stirring suspicions

By KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN A Web site maintained by San Luis Obispo County’s Clerk-Recorder’s office – which provides property deed transaction data and other public information and is routinely updated weekly -- has been dormant for 36 days. The site’s... (Continue reading)