SanLuisObispo.com: Breaking News

LA police plan for huge crowd at Jackson memorial

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:25 PDT

By By ROBERT JABLON -- Los Angeles city officials are preparing for massive crowds downtown during Tuesday's public memorial for Michael Jackson at Staples Center, even though only 17,500 tickets are being offered to the public.

Assistant Police Chief Earl Paysinger says anywhere from a quarter-million to 700,000 people may try to reach the arena, even though a wide area around Staples Center will be sealed off to those without tickets.

City Councilwoman Jan Perry strongly urged people to stay home and watch the memorial on TV. The ceremony will not be shown on Staples' giant outdoor TV screen and there will be no funeral procession through the city.

Fireworks won't be obscured by fog along SLO County coast, forecaster predicts

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:57 PDT

By Tad Weber -- Locals and visitors will very likely be able to actually see the fireworks - or lasers - shot off in the 4th of July celebrations Saturday night in Cayucos, Morro Bay and Pismo Beach.

That's because the blanket of fog should remain well offshore.

Skies over Paso Robles, where the other main show will occur, will of course be typically clear.

IOUs spell uncertainty for Calif. small businesses

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:41 PDT

By By MICHELLE LOCKE -- Business consultant Katrina Kennedy has taken her young son out of preschool and put a family vacation on hold. Dairyman Mike O'Kelly is wondering whether he is going to have to let employees go.

The problem? They rely on contracts with state agencies for much of their business and, cash-strapped California may start sending them IOUs instead of money until the state has enough cash to cover all payments.

"I've dealt with the state for many, many years, and the failure of the state to come up with a budget has always caused problems for July and August," said O'Kelly, owner of Morning Glory Inc. in Susanville, which supplies milk and eggs to prisons. "This particular economic crisis, however, has me more worried than all of the others combined."

Morro Bay's laser show 'meant to be experienced,' organizer says

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:42 PDT

By Larissa Puro -- Alan Fuehrer is preparing for his biggest season of the year � the laser show season, that is.

More cities are opting for this less traditional celebration of America�s independence: a 30 minute laser light show, synchronized to patriotic music, and projected onto a 40-to 50-foot screen suspended in the air, said Fuehrer. He�s the production manager of Lightwave International, which is putting on Morro Bay�s futuristic show at dusk Saturday.

Last year, the company hosted about a dozen events � each of which takes about a month to prepare, Fuehrer said.

Autopsy delayed for boy who drowned in Morro Bay hotel pool

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:44 PDT

By AnnMarie Cornejo -- The autopsy results for the 8-year-old boy who drowned in a hotel swimming pool in Morro Bay will not be available until next week.

Jesse Munoz of Fresno drowned Saturday in the pool of the El Rancho Best Western Hotel, 2460 Main St. in Morro Bay.

The county coroner's office was not able to complete its autopsy today and said it would have to be finished after the Fourth of July holiday.

Furloughs will close California DMV offices on three Fridays in July

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:15 PDT

By The Associated Press -- SACRAMENTO � Furlough Fridays are back at California�s DMV offices.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles announced Thursday that all its offices will be closed for three Fridays in July as part of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger�s furlough order.

DMV offices will be closed on July 10, 17 and 24.

Voters say no to more taxes to spray mosquitoes

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:49 PDT

County voters swatted down by a two-to-one margin an attempt to tax residents more to pay for control of mosquitoes and other vectors, the county clerk recorder�s office said Wednesday.

County Clerk-Recorder Julie Rodewald told The Tribune there were 23,631 ballot against the proposal and 15.581 in favor.

Roughly 38,000 property owners voted, but the vote was weighted according to the property assessment. By that measure, the proposal lost 340,492 to 164,645.

Man found dead in ocean near Cambria identified

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:49 PDT

EDITOR'S NOTE: This version is corrected to note King was a Morro Bay lifeguard and reserve harbor patrolman.

The County Sheriff�s Department has identified the man who was found dead Wednesday after his kayak was spotted flipped over in the waters off Cambria.

The department said Jesse Jacob King, 28, was free diving alone off the shore of a beach near Sherwood Drive in the community�s Marine Terrace neighborhood before he was found dead.

King was employed as a Morro Bay lifeguard and was a reserve harbor patrolman.

Drug robbery reported at Mustang Village Apartments in SLO on Tuesday

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:14 PDT

San Luis Obispo police responded to a report of a robbery at gunpoint at Mustang Village Apartments at 9:35 p.m. Tuesday.

Officers determined three suspects in their early twenties entered an apartment in the complex at 200 Santa Rosa St. to rob the occupants of narcotics. Two detectives are leading the investigation. There are no further details, according to Capt. Ian Parkinson.

--Sally Connell

Media on standby for Jackson memorial plans

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:20 PDT

By By DAVID BAUDER -- The mysteries that continue to surround Michael Jackson's death include a frustrating and potentially costly one for news organizations: how and when the fallen pop idol will be laid to rest and where a memorial service would be held.

A memorial is being planned, but not at Jackson's former Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif. Some news organizations had been privately planning for a Neverland viewing or burial on Friday, the beginning of a holiday weekend. Now plans are on hold and reporter vigils continue.

"It can be a little bit of a hassle," said CBS News executive Susan Zirinsky. "But this is the funeral of a celebrity that has great interest. We'll figure it out. This is not the same as a massive terrorist attack."

Uncertain future for Jackson's Neverland Ranch

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:56 PDT

By By ALEX VEIGA and JOHN ROGERS -- With Peter Pan as inspiration, Michael Jackson turned his lush Neverland ranch into a whimsical retreat with carnival rides, a chimpanzee named Bubbles and even a Disney-like train station where he could recapture his lost childhood.

But like the superstar's career, the property's idyllic image was tarnished when Jackson was accused of molesting a 13-year-old cancer survivor there in 2003. He was acquitted, but the scandal nearly ruined Jackson and drove him from Neverland forever. Over the last four years, the property fell into disrepair, and at one point it was weeks from being sold at a public auction.

The singer's death last Thursday renewed speculation about the future of the four-square-mile ranch. Will it be turned into a tourist attraction celebrating the King of Pop, much like Elvis Presley's Graceland pays homage to the King of Rock and Roll? Restored for his heirs to use? Or perhaps put on the market to cash in on the sudden interest in all things Jackson?

Homes spared from Atascadero brush fire

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:11 PDT

By Stephen Curran -- No structures were damaged after a brush fire burned about three acres on Wednesday, officials said.

Crews, aided by an air tanker and nine engines, responded to 9850 Carmelita about 3:20 p.m. The fire threatened about seven homes, officials said, but none were damaged.

The fire was controlled in about one hour. Crews estimated that about $3.5 million in property was saved.

Bank of America to accept state IOUs

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:56 PDT

By Sally Connell -- Bank of America has announced it will take warrants, or IOUs, from the state of California through July 10 for its existing customers.

Such warrants are expected to be given to county governments for numerous health and welfare programs and to state contractors and vendors after the governor and legislature failed to reach agreement on a budget.

In San Luis Obispo County, for example, landlords who rent to the state will receive such warrants. And the county itself expects to receive $1 million in warrants a month for cancer screening, mental health counseling, alcohol counseling and more.

Small brush fire reported in Santa Margarita

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:18 PDT

By Tonya Strickland -- A small brush fire burned a patch of median grass where Highway 101 and Highway 58 meet in Santa Margarita this afternoon.

Cal Fire and Santa Margarita Fire Department crews are still on the scene to determine the cause of the fire, which started at about 3:45 p.m. and was out by 4 p.m. No damage has been reported, according to Cal Fire.

UPDATE: Fire that burned car suspicious, police say

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:15 PDT

A late model BMW registered to someone from outside the area burned on Elks Lane near the Sunset Drive-In late Tuesday morning in what officials now believe was a fire of suspicious origin.

The vehicle�s owners have been difficult to contact because they moved from the car�s registered address, according to San Luis police Capt. Ian Parkinson, so officials do not know if the car was stolen.

The city Fire Department is currently investigating the case.

UPDATE: Kayaker's body found in ocean near Cambria

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:45 PDT

UPDATE:

One person is reported dead after a kayak capsized off Cambria this afternoon, Sheriff�s Department officials said.

A witness reported seeing two people in a kayak off Sherwood Drive in Cambria about 3 p.m., Sheriff's spokesman Rob Bryn said. One body was reportedly on the beach and Coast Guard crews are searching for a possible second person.

SLO Grand Jury: County code enforcement dawdles on high-profile cases, such as De Vaul's Sunny Acres

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:47 PDT

By Bob Cuddy -- County code enforcement officers have dawdled in their enforcement efforts at Dan De Vaul�s ranch and the Roandoak of God commune, according to a newly released report from the civil grand jury.

Describing the code enforcement division�s approach as �dilatory,� the grand jury wrote that enforcement against both places was �delayed beyond a reasonable time frame.�

The county�s �willingness�to act in a timely fashion was questionable,� the grand jury wrote.

Lucia Mar approves $77 million budget

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:01 PDT

The Lucia Mar Unified School District Board of Trustees approved a $77 million budget Tuesday night for the 2009-10 school year.

The board voted 4-3 in favor of the budget with board members Georgie O�Connor, David Foster and President Eric Howell dissenting.

The new budget includes $9.4 million in cuts which was achieved by teacher and staff layoffs and increased fees and larger classes for next year.

Paso woman sentenced to jail for not helping husband's molestation victim

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:00 PDT

A Paso Robles woman was sentenced Tuesday to 9 months in county jail and four years of probation after pleading no contest to child endangerment charges, two weeks after her husband was sentenced to 10 years in state prison for charges of child molestation that was committed on a relative.

Elaine Kullgren was charged with felony child endangerment because she knew the molestations were occurring and didn�t help the girl, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Jerret Gran.

Her husband Keith Kullgren, 31, pleaded no contest to three counts of lewd or lascivious acts against a child under the age of 14. A no-contest plea results in a conviction without an admission of guilt. On June 16 he was sentenced to 10 years in state prison.

Grover Beach woman killed by train in Idaho

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:57 PDT

By Associated Press -- A California woman is dead and a man was critically injured after being hit by trains in separate accidents.

Idaho State Police say a Union Pacific train struck and killed a woman whose body was found lying on the tracks in Post Falls on Monday night. Officials identified the woman as 45-year-old Cynthia L. Broderson of Grover Beach, Calif.

And early Monday, 28-year-old Henderson Wallen was found lying next to the tracks in Rathdrum with injuries he said he suffered when hit by a train. Wallen was taken to the Kootenai Medical Center for treatment of head and back injuries. He was listed in critical condition late Tuesday morning.