By KAREN VELIE The Gifford Fire burning in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties ballooned to 65,062 acres overnight, with 3% containment. In SLO County, the fire crossed Branch Mountain Road, while on the southeast flank, it continued its... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE Grappling with a shortage of leadership, San Simeon Community Services District is seeking help from San Luis Obispo County under a mutual aid agreement. Less then two weeks ago, both the interim general manager and a director... (Continue Reading)
Find great local sales and deals on dining, happy hours, lodging, golf and more while supporting San Luis Obispo County businesses and the local economy. Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort in Avila Beach Your Sycamore Summer Located at the heart of... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE After months of falling prices, the average price for a gallon of gas in San Luis Obispo County rose two cents to $4.87 a gallon last week, according to figures from AAA. In California, the average price... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE The Gifford Fire burning in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties grew to 30,519 acres by Saturday evening, with 5% containment. While firefighters battled the blaze, three people suffered minor to major injuries. A helicopter transported... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE Four horses died in a barn fire in Atascadero on Saturday afternoon. The fire also destroyed the barn, scorched 9 acres and injured two people, according to the Atascadero Fire Department. Shortly before 5 p.m., a caller... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE The fast moving Gifford Fire in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties swelled to 23,588 acres on Saturday morning making it the largest blaze currently burning in California. The fire is spreading rapidly through dry vegetation... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE More than 1,400 PG&E customers lost power in northern San Luis Obispo County on Saturday morning. Shortly before noon, power went out for 1,466 PG&E customers from Templeton to Lake Nacimiento. The cause of the outage remains... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE The Gifford Fire burning in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties grew to 5,000 acres by Friday evening, with no containment. The fire is burning primarily in the Los Padres National Forest. Shortly after 2 p.m.... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE An Arroyo Grande man is charged with attempted murder after he allegedly threatened to kill several people outside a hotel on Friday morning. Shortly after 6 a.m., an employee of the hotel on El Camino Real in... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE Three men rescued a man drowning in San Luis Obispo late Thursday afternoon. A man was swimming in the pool at Laguna Terrace Mobile Home Park on Pefumo Canyon Road with two of his children when he... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE The fast moving Gifford Fire burning in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties grew to 818 acres in four hours on Friday, with no containment. Shortly after 2 p.m. on Friday, a caller reported four small... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE As part of a more than decade-long war over control of the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin, the newly formed joint powers authority’s plan to tax landowners over the basin failed on Friday. During Friday’s meeting that included... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE A predator accused of taking an Arizona teen from her grandmother’s home in Nipomo to Mexico for illicit sexual activity has been found guilty on all federal charges he faced at the conclusion of a four-day trial,... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE Editors Note: This the second in a four-part series on three civil lawsuits and an appeal related to the investigation, trial and incarceration of Paul Flores. Read part one, “Will Paul Flores return to San Luis Obispo... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE A 28-year-old San Luis Obispo man is in jail after officers discovered he had over 600 files of child pornography. Social media sites such as Facebook, Google, Reddit provide Cybertips to law enforcement if someone using their... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE After months of contemplating a run for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s seat, former Vice President Kamala Harris announced Tuesday she will not run for California governor in 2026. Harris plans to announce, in the next few months, her... (Continue Reading)
OPINION by ANDY CALDWELL Do you remember in the 1977 film “Star Wars” when Obi-Wan Kenobi described the infamous saloon as a “wretched hive of scum and villainy”? Is that not an apt description of the former convicts arrested at... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE Months after offshore oil production resumed at one platform off the Santa Barbara County coastline, plans are in the works to start production at two additional offshore facilities. Sable Offshore plans to restart oil production at all... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE Santa Barbara County sheriff’s detectives arrested a man on Tuesday who posed as a luxury car executive and scammed victims out of thousands of dollars with false promises of discounted high-end vehicles. Investigators are now seeking the... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE A tsunami watch issued for the Central Coast was changed on Tuesday to a tsunami advisory following an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Russia. The tsunami is expected to reach San Luis Obispo and Santa... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE A fire burning at an apartment complex in Grover Beach on Tuesday morning destroyed five units and injured two people. Shortly before 9:30 a.m., a caller reported a fire burning at an apartment at 970 S 14th... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE The ongoing spiking of tires continues in Paso Robles, resulting in long waits at tire shops. Since early spring, officers have responded to more than 40 reports of metal spike puncturing vehicle tires. The vandalism incidents involve... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE Editors Note: This is first in a four-part series on three civil lawsuits and an appeal related to the investigation, trial and incarceration of Paul Flores. Even though Paul Flores was convicted in 2022 of murdering former... (Continue Reading)
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... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE A Grover Beach child is in serious condition after a pickup truck hit the tricycle the 2-year-old was riding in the parking lot of the Mustang Waterpark in Arroyo Grande on Sunday, according to the CHP. Shortly... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE Two people suffered moderate to major injuries after a teen drove onto Highway 46 directly in the path of an eastbound driver near Shandon on Sunday afternoon. Shortly before 2 p.m., a caller reported a crash on... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE Three people were killed after a small plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean off Monterey County late Saturday night. The plane, a 1974 twin-engine Beechcraft, took off shortly after 10 p.m. from the San Carlos Airport near... (Continue Reading)
By KAREN VELIE The Santa Maria Police Department arrested six drivers for DUI, while citing a total of 21 drivers, during a DUI checkpoint on July 26. Results of DUI checkpoint Officers arrested six drivers for driving under the influence... (Continue Reading)
Find great local sales and deals on dining, happy hours, lodging, golf and more while supporting San Luis Obispo County businesses and the local economy. Rock and Roll Diner in Oceano and Pismo Beach Brighten up your day with a... (Continue Reading)