Before a packed City Council chamber, Arroyo Grande officials tried Tuesday night to allay concerns about the proposed Centennial Square, which would improve city facilities, create new commercial property and build a pedestrian plaza in the Village.

Freshman sports teams will be cut from schools in the Los Padres League next year in a budget cutting move.

Earthquake danger, spent fuel storage and the perceived early timing of the renewal application are poised to be major public concerns as federal regulators process an application to extend Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant’s two operating licenses by 20 years.

On Tuesday, Dr. Elaine Yin of Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center performed the hospital’s first procedure using the daVinci Surgical System — a $1.8 million robot that a physician remotely controls to perform minimally invasive surgical procedures.