Wilcox to fight release of investigation report

Attorney David Warren announced he plans to apply for an order to block all or part of the investigative report that led supervisors to terminate Assistant Administrative Officer Gail Wilcox, according to County Counsel Warren Jensen. Findings from the investigation resulted... (Continue reading)

California prison guards call for a strike vote

By KAREN VELIE After learning of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plan to slash prison guard’s salaries by another 10 percent, the union has authorized a strike vote, according to Paco Villa’s Correction Blog. Union members question how the governor can determine which department’s... (Continue reading)

Sheriff candidate allegedly cheated on test

By KAREN VELIE Former police officers have charged that sheriff candidate Ian Parkinson’s brother provided him the answers to sergeant promotion essay questions in 2001. Police officers, vying for one open sergeant position, answered three essay questions designed to test their writing... (Continue reading)

SLO County’s $100,000 plus pension club

By KAREN VELIE California's Public Employees’ Retirement System (CaLPERS) lost nearly $67 billion in the last 12 months prompting critics to question the steep pensons paid to some government retirees such as former Cal Poly administrator Robert Detweiler at $181,697 per... (Continue reading)

County employees accused of theft of public funds

By KAREN VELIE County officials continue to threaten whistleblowers while the state has mounted an investigation into the theft of county resources by at least two employees, according to inside county sources. A handful of county employees, who claim they are tired... (Continue reading)

UPDATE: Additional allegations surface against local charity

By KAREN VELIE Amidst a flurry of questions about how local attorney Eric Parkinson disperses donations earmarked for the needy, his supporters have changed their stories repeatedly to dispute allegations of misappropriations while a reporter in Sri Lanka voices new allegations. Last... (Continue reading)

HFI’s Jay Miller forced into bankruptcy

By KAREN VELIE Several investors in Hurst Financial Inc’s (HFI) hard money lending schemes thrust HFI President Jay Miller into involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy citing Miller’s failure to repay loans he personally guaranteed. Before their meltdown a little more than a year... (Continue reading)

Local lawyer runs questionable charity

By KAREN VELIE A local attorney takes out more than 60 percent of monies donated to a nonprofit he oversees before sending the remaining monies to a self declared cleric alleged to have defrauded donors from throughout the world, according to... (Continue reading)

Investors torture financial advisor

A group of four seniors kidnapped, bound, and tortured a financial advisor who they claim was responsible for losing 2 million pounds they had invested in real estate projects. Capturing and binding the advisor took time as his kidnappers kept... (Continue reading)

UPDATE: Shores pays thousands to avoid paying investors

By KAREN VELIE North county developer Jimmie Shores, his brother Ronnie Shores, and Hurst Financial Inc. (HFI) President Jay Miller, in twisted and conflicting deposition testimonies and interviews, each maintains one of the others is responsible for paying back $700,000 to... (Continue reading)