SanLuisObispo.com: Breaking News

Grover Beach and Oceano score state funds, dedicate local money for affordable housing projects

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:26 PDT

Two South County communities gained substantial funding boosts last week from state and local sources to help finance affordable housing projects.

Grover Beach city officials announced that it will provide $668,000 to the non-profit organization Habitat for Humanity towards a four-unit project at 506 Longbranch Ave.

And the state is providing $450,000 to the local non-profit Peoples’ Self-Help Housing in state housing bond funds towards a proposed project of six units at 1725 15th St. in Oceano.

SLO County could lose one percent of workforce, face departmental cuts as a result of state's adopted budget

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:12 PDT

Battered spouses, anti-meth programs, youngsters being treated for substance abuse and many other people and programs in San Luis Obispo County might suffer under cuts in the state’s adopted budget, according to a preliminary analysis by the county administrative office.

The county could lose 23 jobs – one percent of the work force, according to the analysis prepared by Dan Buckshi, deputy county administrator. The projected losses are between $300,000 and $600,000, according to Buckshi.

Buckshi will tell the Board of Supervisors Tuesday what he and county department heads have been able to ascertain by examining the state budget. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. at the county government center, 1055 Monterey Street, in San Luis Obispo.

$3 million in economic stimulus money unclaimed by Central Coast residents: Wednesday deadline for tax forms

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:11 PDT

Nearly $3 million in economic stimulus payments are due to Central Coast residents who haven’t filed for them, according to Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel.

"Congress sent the president a stimulus bill earlier this year to bolster our economy, but those payments have become even more important for families who are facing high food and gas prices," Farr said. "Thousands of Central Coast residents have money waiting for them, they just need to file the 1040 for 2007 by Wednesday."

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington think tank, most of those who failed to file are older Americans and disabled veterans who normally would not file tax returns.

Underdog Kokkonen serious about race against Capps

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:27 PDT

Matt Kokkonen is nothing if not an optimist.

When he talks about the long odds he’s facing in his race against Rep. Lois Capps, a five-term Democrat from Santa Barbara, his broad smile and the lilt in his lightly accented voice don’t waver a bit. He could be discussing a horse race in which he’ll ride Secretariat and his opponent will climb on a rocking horse.

"I’m just an immigrant kid from Finland," he says. "I’m happy to be here."

FRIDAY NIGHT SCOREBOARD: SLO, Atascadero, Morro Bay, A.G. win

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:15 PDT

High school football action kicked off a day early Thursday night with Paso Robles putting an end to El Diamante’s 15-game winning streak in Visalia.

As far as Friday's action, it was strong night for San Luis Obispo County teams. A look at scores from around the area:

San Luis Obispo 42, Lompoc 33

Van destroyed by fire in SLO

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:47 PDT

Firefighters put out a van that was on fire in a dirt lot off of South Higuera Street on Friday night in San Luis Obispo.

No injuries were reported.

Mountain bike series coming to SLO later this month

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:39 PDT

The Jeep 48Straight Mountain Bike Series is scheduled to return to the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo on Oct. 24-25.

Jeep 48Straight has partnered with the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo to host an Eco-Festival that coincides with the two-day event.

The mountain bike series features a dual slalom course with local and professional riders kicking off the competition with an open qualifier time trial on Oct. 24. Past world champions Brian Lopes, Eric Carter and Melissa Buhl are among the riders scheduled to participate in the event.

Fire destroys home in San Miguel on Friday

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:42 PDT

Fire destroyed a farm house in San Miguel this morning.

The home rented by Tom and Kelly Stainbrook on a property at 8635 North River Road went up in flames about shortly before 10 a.m. this morning. The home is owned by Jon and Samantha Cagliero — who stood and watched as firefighters doused the smoldering structure.

“My mom grew up in this house,” Jon Cagliero said. “We’re all very upset, but I think I feel worse for the family that lived there than I do for the house. They called it home.”

Cal Poly's Barden selected to play in Shrine Game

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:05 PDT

Cal Poly senior wide receiver Ramses Barden has been selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game.

The 84th annual college all-star game is scheduled for Jan. 17 in Houston and will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

It is the fourth time in five years a Cal Poly player has been selected for the game.

Chalk Fire update: Evacuation watches lifted, road and state park closures remain

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:01 PDT

The Chalk Fire burning southwest of King City is 74 percent contained.

All evacuation watches and warnings have been lifted, according to the Monterey District Ranger.

Closures at Limekiln State Park and minor traffic delays on Highway 1 remain in effect.

SLO City Council rejects proposal to install electronic signs downtown

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:56 PDT

The City Council unanimously rejected a staff proposal to install $292,000 in electronic signs that would direct visitors to parking garages downtown.

The proposed signs were suggested by the council itself in a past budget planning meeting as a way to cut down on carbon emissions and assist visitors. But the council expressed reservations about the specifics of the plan when it came before them this week. They decided the money would be better spent if it stays in the parking fund to help finance future parking structures.

The proposal would have had three separate signs starting at seven feet tall, one about parking, and two others directing drivers to specific garages with an electronic updates on the number of parking spaces available. San Jose is the only other city in California that has almost finished installing such signs.

DA dismisses Morro Bay rape case

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:19 PDT

A Morro Bay rape case was dismissed recently by prosecutors because of insufficient evidence.

Officials at the District Attorney’s Office are not filing charges in the case against Darik Stollmeyer of Morro Bay.

“We did some further investigation. Based upon that further investigation we declined to file criminal charges at this time,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Jerret Gran said, declining to elaborate on the specifics of the case.

Paso Robles attorney faces prison for firing gun at repo men

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:17 PDT

A Paso Robles attorney convicted by a jury this week for firing a gun when two men came to his house to repossess his truck might face prison time.

Adam Ranald Fairbairn was convicted Tuesday of felony assault with a firearm and discharging a firearm with gross negligence in addition to misdemeanor brandishing a firearm after a two-week jury trial, according to officials at the District Attorney’s Office.

The San Luis Obispo Superior Court jury found Fairbairn not guilty of shooting at an occupied motor vehicle. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 5 and is free on $250,000 bail.

SLO City Council decides against installing synthetic turf on athletic fields

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:36 PDT

The City Council decided not to install synthetic turf on any of its athletic fields at this point, but accepted a staff report that if it were to go anywhere it should be the Damon-Garcia Sports Complex on Broad Street.

The council accepted a report on how to get more playing time out of the city’s athletic field. It postponed making any decision regarding athletic turf until the effectiveness of an effort to regenerate the natural grasses at Damon-Garcia can be studied. The grass at the sports complex, where soccer is played, has taken a beating since it opened in 2005.

The council approved staff recommendations to delay considering synthetic turf now, and reallocating $961,000 that had been set aside for it to other park improvements.

Paso hoteliers get go ahead from City Council to form local business improvement district

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:04 PDT

Paso Robles hoteliers received the go-ahead from the City Council Tuesday night to begin the process of forming the town’s own tourism business improvement district.

If approved later this year, a 2 percent levy will be placed on the gross receipts from all hotel and motel rooms in the city, with collections to begin in February. The district is expected to raise at least $500,000 in the first year for tourism promotion.

“This is an opportunity for an industry to help itself,” Councilman Fred Strong said of the self-imposed tax designed to help fund promotions to lure tourists to stay in area hotels.

Gale force winds expected to develop later today

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:05 PDT

Cooler temperatures are expected this afternoon as onshore winds increase later today, according to weather reports.

Strong gale force northwesterly winds are expected to develop late this afternoon.

The increased winds are occurring along the entire California coastline and are expected to generate a 6 to 8 foot northwesterly sea swell today and building to 7 to 9 feet Thursday morning.

Paso Robles city officials forgo environmental report on sulfur spring pit

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:08 PDT

The City Council voted Tuesday night to forgo a full environmental impact report to pave over the large sulfur spring pit in the Paso Robles City Hall/Library parking lot caused by the 2003 San Simeon Earthquake and install a permanent system to pump hot water back into the ground.

Officials say they could begin construction on the project in about a year and finish it within six months after that.

The permanent fix includes catching the sulfur-rich water from its source in an underground vault and sending it through pipes to the city water yard and into specially created sandy trenches below the surface to join with the Salinas River's underflow -- water that runs underground beneath the river.

UPDATE: Nacimiento Lake Road to be reopened after brush fire

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:44 PDT

6:45 p.m. UPDATE:Nacimiento Lake Road is about to be reopened and vehicles will be escorted slowly while fire crews continue to contain a blaze that burned at least 50 acres, according to the CHP media Web site and radio dispatches from the scene.

Cal Fire advises that crews are still working along the road and asks that motorists drive slowly, using caution.

Oceano hires Walsh as interim general manager

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:21 PDT

The Oceano Community Services District Board of Directors has announced the expected hiring of Kevin Walsh as its new interim general manager. Walsh is anticipated to assume his new duties on Thursday if a contract is formally approved by the board at its regular meeting on Wednesday, according to departing General Manager Patrick O’Reilly. The board had a special meeting scheduled for Monday to discuss the likely hire, according to the district. Walsh has worked as either district engineer or general manager for seven public agencies over the past 30 years. He retired from the Goleta Water District on Oct. 1 where he been the general manager for 11 years. Walsh, who lives in Santa Ynez, has previously worked as the general manager of the Ramona Municipal Water District and the Marina Coast Water District. Walsh’s term doesn’t have a set timeline, and he’ll make the same amount on a monthly basis that O’Reilly earned – about $9,333 per month including benefits and a car allowance. He is not interested in a permanent general manager position and is expected to stay on until a permanent leader is hired, O’Reilly said. O’Reilly announced his resignation in September after a year of service and took a new job as business manager of the Port San Luis Harbor District. He was set to leave the Oceano district on Friday.

Temperatures soar in SLO but no records broken

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:03 PDT

It was warm in San Luis Obispo on Tuesday but not a record-breaker.

The San Luis Obispo airport recorded temperatures of 99 degrees Tuesday afternoon, but the record for that day was 102 degrees in 1996, according to John Lindsey, meteorologist at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. Paso Robles recorded temperatures of 88 degrees.

Tuesday’s warm temperatures did not come close to a record for the month. In 1987, Oct. 4 and 5 reached the scorching temperatures of 111 degrees, which made San Luis Obispo the warmest spot in the nation, Lindsey said.