Recent Articles

These are the most recent articles on CalCoastNews.com

Thief ties up Morro Bay store clerk during robbery

Written on 21 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 2 comments


By JOSH FRIEDMAN Morro Bay police are searching for a robber who allegedly tied up a clerk at a check cashing store Wednesday evening, locked her in a restroom and made off with about $2,000. At about 5:41 p.m., the... (Continue Reading)

SLO teen’s shooting threat motivated by social media

Written on 20 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 8 comments


By CCT STAFF Motivated by a social media trend, a 13-year-old girl at Laguna Middle School in San Luis Obispo made a school shooting threat, with the hope that it would lead to a day off from school. On Nov.... (Continue Reading)

Nipomo man sentenced to 130 years in prison for child rape

Written on 20 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 2 comments


By CCT STAFF A Nipomo man was sentenced on Wednesday to 130 years in prison for sexually molesting three children. Last month, a jury convicted William Martinez Perez, 59, of six felony counts of committing a lewd act on a... (Continue Reading)

Inmate overdoses at Atascadero State Hospital

Written on 20 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | No comments


By JOSH FRIEDMAN Officials are investigating the cause of an apparent overdose at Atascadero State Hospital on Tuesday. A patient reportedly overdosed on an undetermined substance. Investigators are attempting to determine the substance consumed, as well as the circumstances surrounding... (Continue Reading)

Motorcyclist trapped under truck in Nipomo

Written on 20 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | No comments


By JOSH FRIEDMAN A motorcyclist survived but suffered major injuries after colliding with a pickup and becoming trapped underneath the truck Tuesday evening in Nipomo. Shortly before 7 p.m., the motorcycle and pickup collided on the Tefft Street Bridge beside... (Continue Reading)

Oceano Dunes closure could cost $100 million a year

Written on 19 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 22 comments


By CCT STAFF The director of California State Parks agreed on Monday to permanently shut down approximately half of the camping area and about 5 percent of the riding area at the Oceano Dunes, at an Air Pollution Control District... (Continue Reading)

Man killed in crash in Paso Robles

Written on 19 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | No comments


By JOSH FRIEDMAN An 83-year-old Southern California man died in a crash on Highway 46 in Paso Robles on Monday morning. Shortly after 9 a.m., a 2002 gray Buick and a 2001 red Ford Ranger collided at Highway 46 and... (Continue Reading)

Victim asks SLO County judge to reopen criminal case

Written on 18 Nov, 2019 in Featured, Uncovered SLO | 12 comments


By KAREN VELIE Which is more important, a criminal defendant’s right to finality or a victim’s rights to be heard and informed? San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge Jesse Marino is currently pondering that question. [Cal Coast Times] Earlier... (Continue Reading)

More than 200 people attend Kristin Smart vigil

Written on 18 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 3 comments


By JOSH FRIEDMAN An estimated 250 people gathered in Arroyo Grande Sunday evening for a candlelight vigil meant to honor the memory of longtime-missing Cal Poly student Kristin Smart and apply pressure on the family of her suspected killer, as... (Continue Reading)

Arroyo Grande Council cashing in on benefits

Written on 18 Nov, 2019 in Featured, Opinion | 18 comments


OPINION by JULIE TACKER The Arroyo Grande City Council voted to increase their monthly stipends by sixty percent! On top of that, they agreed to award the mayor an additional $150 per month. It is their intention that these increases... (Continue Reading)

Firefighters battle two SLO County structure fires

Written on 18 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | No comments


By JOSH FRIEDMAN Fires broke out early Monday morning in both Arroyo Grande and Cayucos, with a business burning in the South County city and a home burning in the North Coast community, according to Cal Fire. At about 3... (Continue Reading)

Teen threatens gun violence at Arroyo Grande High School

Written on 17 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 9 comments


By CCT STAFF Posing with what appeared to be a 1911 handgun, a 17-year-old male threatened to carry out acts of violence at Arroyo Grande High School. On Friday, the teen posted the threat of violence on social media. Throughout... (Continue Reading)

Kenneth Schwartz, a true SLO visionary

Written on 17 Nov, 2019 in Featured, Opinion | 4 comments


OPINION by T. Keith GURNEE On Oct. 19, we lost Kenneth E. Schwartz who served as one of Cal Poly’s most respected former professors in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design. Ken also served the city of San Luis... (Continue Reading)

Firefighters rescue hiker who fell at Bishop Peak in SLO

Written on 17 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 2 comments


By CCT STAFF Firefighters rescued a hiker who was rendered unconscious after falling approximately 20 feet at Bishop Peak in San Luis Obispo on Sunday, according to Cal Fire SLO. Shortly before noon, Cal Fire and San Luis Obispo firefighters... (Continue Reading)

Car hits toddler in Santa Maria, child airlifted to hospital

Written on 17 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | No comments


By JOSH FRIEDMAN Emergency crews transported a two-year-old child who had been struck by a vehicle  in Santa Maria on Saturday to a hospital. After the car hit the child in the 800 block of W. Barrett Street, a CalStar... (Continue Reading)

SLO Tribune parent company’s stock crashes

Written on 16 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 30 comments


By CCT STAFF McClatchy stock dropped 65 percent on Friday, two days after the SLO Tribune’s parent company reported a net loss of $304.7 million in the third quarter of 2019. McClatchy’s stock closed at 49 cents on Friday, its... (Continue Reading)

Cal Poly police accused of racial profiling

Written on 16 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 22 comments


By CCT STAFF The Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Chapter of the California Faculty Association (CFA) has accused campus police of racial profiling, according to a letter the CFA sent members on Thursday. [Cal Coast Times] A faculty member of... (Continue Reading)

Paso Robles police arrest suspected bank robber

Written on 16 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 17 comments


By CCT STAFF Police arrested a man suspected of robbing the Pacific Premier Bank in Paso Robles at gunpoint on Friday morning, hours after the robbery. At 9:20 a.m., two masked men entered the bank holding handguns, and demanded cash.... (Continue Reading)

Storage yard fire destroys motorhome in Atascadero

Written on 15 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | One comment


By CCT STAFF A fire at a storage yard in Atascadero burned a motorhome, a car, grass and a metal building on Thursday morning. [Cal Coast Times] Shortly after 10 a.m., firefighters responded to reports of a fire at a... (Continue Reading)

Armed bandits rob Paso Robles bank

Written on 15 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 3 comments


By CCT STAFF Police are searching for two men who robbed the Pacific Premier Bank on 12th Street in Paso Robles at gun point on Friday morning. [Cal Coast Times] At 9:20 a.m., two masked men entered the bank holding... (Continue Reading)

Several SLO County cities seeking an increase in sales tax

Written on 15 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 18 comments


By JOSH FRIEDMAN Several San Luis Obispo County cities are considering pursuing sales tax increase initiatives that could appear on the 2020 ballots. [KSBY] On Tuesday, the Atascadero City Council approved allocating $25,000 for a consultant to survey residents about... (Continue Reading)

California Men’s Colony sewage spill contaminates Chorro Creek

Written on 14 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 9 comments


By CCT STAFF San Luis Obispo County health officials are warning the public to avoid Chorro Creek and the estuary after 33,000 gallons of sewage spilled from the California Men’s Colony on Thursday morning. A power failure of the ultraviolet... (Continue Reading)

Small earthquake shakes Pismo Beach

Written on 14 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | One comment


By JOSH FRIEDMAN A 2.6 magnitude earthquake woke up some Pismo Beach residents late Wednesday night. [Cal Coast Times] Shortly before midnight, the quake, with an epicenter 1.5 to 2 miles north of Pismo Beach, rattled the community, according to... (Continue Reading)

Arroyo Grande Council votes to raise mayor’s pay 97 percent

Written on 14 Nov, 2019 in Featured, Uncovered SLO | 28 comments


By KAREN VELIE Following pleas from the public not to raise their salaries, the Arroyo Grande City Council voted 3-2 on Tuesday to give themselves a 60 percent increase and Mayor Caren Ray-Russom a 97 percent increase in pay. [Cal... (Continue Reading)

Pismo Beach police identify man found in the surf

Written on 14 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 2 comments


By JOSH FRIEDMAN Authorities have confirmed the man whose dead body was discovered in the surf off Pismo Beach on Tuesday as missing 28-year-old Costa Mesa resident Jacob Potter. Potter’s death was a suicide, according to police. Shortly after 3... (Continue Reading)

Atascadero Council votes to approve micro-home development

Written on 14 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 7 comments


By JOSH FRIEDMAN The Atascadero City Council voted on Tuesday to approve the planned development of a community of micro-homes along El Camino Real. Grand Oaks Paseo, a development proposed by Cal Coastal Properties, will consist of 30 micro-homes on... (Continue Reading)

SLO Council votes to build a new downtown parking garage

Written on 14 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 4 comments


By JOSH FRIEDMAN The San Luis Obispo City Council approved a project on Tuesday night that will bring a large parking garage and theater to a downtown SLO corner. [Tribune] More than 15 years after declaring it a major city... (Continue Reading)

Police chief responds to report on criminal cops

Written on 13 Nov, 2019 in Featured, Opinion | 18 comments


Opinion by Chief Ronald Lawrence, California Police Chief Association president As police chiefs, it is our sworn responsibility to protect the public, which includes holding our own officers accountable for their conduct. There are few responsibilities police chiefs take as... (Continue Reading)

Study exposes 11 officers arrested in SLO County

Written on 13 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 14 comments


By JOSH FRIEDMAN A total of 11 current and former law enforcement officers have been charged with and convicted of crimes in San Luis Obispo County since 2013, according to records obtained by UC Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program. [Tribune] Of... (Continue Reading)

Dead body found in the surf off Pismo Beach

Written on 12 Nov, 2019 in Daily Briefs, Featured | 2 comments


By CCT STAFF The dead body of a man was discovered in the surf off Pismo Beach Tuesday afternoon. Police have not yet identified the man. Shortly after 3 p.m., a person walking on the beach noticed the the body... (Continue Reading)