Lightning, rain, and power outages in San Luis Obispo County
By KAREN VELIE San Luis Obispo County’s first storm of the season provided an incredible lightning display, more than a half inch of rain in some areas, and seven power outages impacting more than 3,000 PG&E customers. As the storm moved in on Tuesday evening, lightning strikes lit up the...
Judge questions murder suspect’s competency to stand trial
By KAREN VELIE During a hearing on Tuesday, a judge questioned the competency of the 35-year-old man who stabbed two of his former Arroyo Grande neighbors killing one last week. On the evening of Sept. 17, Fritz Schnoor broke into Joseph and Cynthia Giambalvo’s home, stabbed the husband and wife...
Santa Maria student busted with cannabis and a loaded gun at school
By KAREN VELIE A student at Righetti High School in Santa Maria is in juvenile hall after he was caught smoking cannabis in the bathroom with a loaded gun in his backpack on Monday afternoon. Shortly after 1 p.m., a school employee discovered a male student smoking pot. School resource...
Man killed in crash near Lake Nacimiento identified
By KAREN VELIE California Highway Patrol officers today identified the driver killed in a single vehicle crash near Lake Nacimiento on Monday as 62-year-old David Upham of Bradley. Shortly before 2 p.m., Upham lost control of his vehicle and drove 50 feet off Lake Nacimento Drive. His Dodge Grand Caravan...
Don’t push your beliefs on me
Editor’s Note: The following series, “Life in Radically Gentrifying Cayucos by the Sea,” to be posted biweekly includes the notes, thoughts, and opinions of an original American voice: author Dell Franklin. Franklin’s memoir, “The ballplayer’s Son” and “Life on The Mississippi, 1969” are currently on Amazon. I was coming out...
SLO County woman plans to represent herself in election fraud case
By KAREN VELIE A judge on Monday granted a 62-year-old San Luis Obispo County woman permission to represent herself in court regarding nine election fraud charges related to the 2022 and 2024 Arroyo Grande mayoral elections. Prosecutors charged former Arroyo Grande mayoral candidate Gaea Powell with voter registration fraud, filing...
Santa Maria teen busted with cache of loaded firearms
By KAREN VELIE A 17-year-old Santa Maria boy is in juvenile hall after officers found six loaded weapons in his home. Shortly before 11 p.m. on Sunday, a caller reported someone was pointing a laser at vehicles driving on the 300 block of Lolita Lane. During the investigation, officers contacted...
