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Local

The Charles Paddock Zoo in Atascadero has two curl crested aracari, one of which is pictured above. The birds are relatives of the toucan and live in lowland forests. They are from central and southern Brazil, eastern Peru and northern Bolivia. The pair at the zoo might be the only ones on display in the United States. The zoo has heat lamps and warm areas for animals when the weather turns cold, but no extra measures have been needed during the recent cold snap.

Scenes of SLO County: December 2013

Snapshots of what's happening in San Luis Obispo County in December.

Sports

Former Cal Poly wrestler Chad Mendes, left, reacts after his first-round technical knockout of Cody McKenzie at UFC 148 on July 7, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Mendes won the fight on a body punch in only 31 seconds.

College Notebook: Former Cal Poly wrestler Mendes back in UFC spotlight

Chad Mendes hasn’t only gone undefeated in his past four bouts in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The former Cal Poly wrestler has finished each fight in spectacular fashion, with one knockout and three wins by TKO.

Business

SLO County Farm Bureau elects new officers

The San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau recently elected its 2013-15 Executive Board at its 91st annual membership meeting.

Opinion

Lon Allan

Dizzying world of car technology

I was puttering in my garage the other day on a woodwork project. I live in a small (nine-unit) condo complex. Parked less than 40 feet away was my neighbor’s car. All of a sudden I heard it start up. I turned around to say “good morning... 3 hours ago

Entertainment

Jayde Forzetting as Grace Jackson and other cast members during a “Pool ’63” rehearsal.

Cuesta production dives into the deep end of racial issues

Set in the summer of 1963 in Birmingham, Ala., “Pool ’63” examines how the lives of two 9-year-old girls — one black, one white — are shaped by the civil rights movement.

Living

Finances and the Holidays: Don’t go (for) broke at mall

You want your holidays to be merry and bright. But you don’t want to break the bank in the process. Below are tips for celebrating the season without going into debt: 3 hours ago

State

FILE - In this undated file photo made available by Google, hundreds of fans funnel hot air from the computer servers into a cooling unit to be recirculated at a Google data center in Mayes County, Okla. The green lights are the server status LEDs reflecting from the front of the servers. Eight major technology companies, including Google, Facebook and Twitter, have joined forces to call for tighter controls on government surveillance, issuing an open letter Monday, Dec. 9, 2013 to President Barack Obama arguing for reforms in the way the U.S. snoops on people.

Tech firms vie to protect personal data, profits

Even as Silicon Valley speaks out against the U.S. government's surveillance methods, technology companies are turning a handsome profit by mining personal data and peering into people's online habits. 11 minutes ago

Nation/World

FILE - This May 1, 2013 file photo shows Federal Housing Finance Authority Director nominee Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., listening as President Barack Obama announces Watt's nomination for the, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. Democrats begin a drive this week to muscle a half dozen of President Barrack Obama's Republican-opposed nominees through the Senate after clamping shackles on traditional minority party rights in last month's power play against the GOP. Republicans, however, still have some tools for grinding the Senate's work to an excruciatingly slow crawl.

Dems clear way for Senate OK of Obama housing pick

Democrats have used the Senate's newly eased filibuster procedures to clear the way for confirmation of the man President Barack Obama wants to become a top housing regulator. 11 minutes ago

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