SanLuisObispo.com: Breaking News

Suspect in SLO carjacking arrested in Santa Barbara County

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:49 PST

A man suspected of carjacking a woman at gunpoint near Cal Poly on Wednesday evening has been arrested in Santa Barbara County.

Ryan Joseph Soqui, 23, of Grover Beach was booked into County Jail on Friday after local law enforcement officials tracked him down at the Gaviota Tunnel rest stop.

San Luis Obispo police traveled to Santa Barbara County after receiving a tip that Soqui was going to meet another Grover Beach resident in Isla Vista. Officers conducted surveillance on that resident's vehicle as she left Isla Vista and headed north on Highway 101, and they saw that a male passenger was inside. When the car parked at the rest stop, officers were able to identify the passenger as Soqui.

Memorial fund and potluck set up for David Kubiak, the fisherman found dead in Morro Bay

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:30 PST

By Sona Patel -- A memorial fund has been set up for David Kubiak, the fisherman who died in Morro Bay sometime overnight Monday.

Donations can be made to the David Kubiak Memorial Fund at any Rabobank branch to benefit Kubiak�s wife, Paige, who works at Cuesta College, and their children.

David Kubiak, a commercial fisherman from Los Osos, appeared to have fallen overboard sometime overnight, according to officials from the San Luis Obispo Sheriff�s Department. His body was discovered about five miles off the coast of Cambria Tuesday at 10:40 a.m.

California voters oppose new vote on gay marriage, poll finds

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:19 PST

By Cathleen Decker -- LOS ANGELES � A small majority of California voters supports the right of gay couples to marry, but a much larger portion of voters opposes efforts to place the issue back on the ballot in 2010, a new Los Angeles Times/University of Southern California poll has found.

Views on same-sex marriage were sharply polarized based on political party, with 66 percent of Democrats thinking it should be legal and 71 percent of Republicans in opposition.

Nonpartisan voters were less enthusiastic than Democrats, but still backed it, 59 percent to 34 percent.

Maldonado, Blakeslee aren't talking about prospects for changing jobs

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:18 PST

By Bob Cuddy -- Two Central Coast politicians who could be changing jobs soon are remaining mum about their respective prospects.

State Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, has been prominently mentioned as a possible replacement for Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, who resigned this week after he was elected to Congress in San Francisco�s East Bay.

Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo, who cannot run for re-election to the Assembly next year because of term limits, has been touted by political observers as likely to run for the open Maldonado seat in a special election that would likely take place sometime next spring should Maldonado move on.

Gunman caught after killing 1, hurting 5 in Orlando shooting

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:50 PST

A gunman opened fire Friday in the offices of an engineering firm where he was let go more than two years ago, killing one person and injuring five others.

Jason Rodriguez, 40, surrendered to police about three hours later, after officers saw him through the window of his mother�s home and asked him to come outside, Orlando Police Chief Val Demings said.

She said investigators did not know why Rodriguez targeted the engineering firm where he once worked.

What recovery? Unemployment shoots past 10 percent

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:46 PST

By By JEANNINE AVERSA and CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER -- Just when it was beginning to look a little better, the economy relapsed Friday with a return to double-digit unemployment for only the second time since World War II and warnings that next year will be even worse than previously thought.

The jobless rate rocketed to 10.2 percent in October, the highest since early 1983, dealing a psychological blow to Americans as they prepare holiday shopping lists. It was another worse-than-expected report casting a shadow over the struggling recovery.

President Barack Obama called it "a sobering number that underscores the economic challenges that lie ahead." He signed a measure to extend unemployment benefits and to expand a tax credit for homebuyers.

Cal Poly women's soccer team moves on

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:07 PST

By Joshua D. Scroggin -- Julianne Grinstead scored with a header on a corner kick by Kristina Condon-Sherwood, and Morgan Miller added an insurance score as the Cal Poly women's soccer team beat visiting UC Irvine 2-0 in a semifinal of the Big West Conference Tournament on Thursday.

With the win, the Mustangs (14-5-0) advance to Sunday's final, when they will host UC Santa Barbara at 1 p.m. at Alex G. Spanos Stadium with a berth in the NCAA Tournament at stake.

Thursday's win was Cal Poly's eighth in a row, and it was the Mustangs' seventh straight shutout.

Paso Robles police warn of 'Sweepstakes Lottery Management' scam

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:23 PST

By Tonya Strickland -- The Paso Robles Police Department is alerting locals of a scam letter containing a fraudulent sweepstakes check.

A resident forwarded the letter to police Thursday because it had a $4,900 check addressed to him claiming he won a prize from Sweepstakes Lottery Management, officials said.

Police determined the letter was a scam, and are reminding people to forward such letters to the police department for further investigation.

Feral pigs in SLO neighborhood reportedly keep mountain lion coming back for more

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:52 PST

By Sally Connell -- Brittany Couch was already keeping her animals in at night, after seeing a mountain lion behind her house kill a piglet in its mouth two weeks ago. It didn�t help that she saw one again early Thursday morning.

Couch lives in the neighborhood of Mission and Chorro streets not far from downtown San Luis Obispo. Her yard backs up against Old Garden Creek, the drainage for Bishop Peak and much of the Foothill Boulevard area.

She assumed Thursday�s visitor, which police report was in the area about 2:50 a.m., was the same cat she saw two weeks ago.

H1N1 vaccine still in high demand in SLO County

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:47 PST

By Sally Connell -- The demand for the H1N1 vaccine remains high, and the county Public Health Department is advising those like pregnant women who are in priority groups for receiving it contact their health provider directly to get the shot.

The department itself does not have extra vaccines at this point, and it will make announcements as they become available.

The latest shipment to the county of 5,600 doses has been distributed to various health professionals who will administer them, and the county plans to start giving the shots to children at a few small schools soon. An additional 3,500 doses have been made available this week to Cal Poly students. And health professionals have ordered some of their shots directly from the manufacturer.

Army psychiatrist kills 12, wounds 31 at Fort Hood

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:02 PST

By By JAY ROOT and ANNE GEARAN -- An Army psychiatrist who had recently completed training in treating traumatic stress disorder opened fire Thursday on a group of soldiers preparing for deployment to Iraq, killing 12 and wounding 31.

A law enforcement official in Texas and a military officer in Washington identified the shooter as Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a psychiatrist in the Army Medical Corps. Both officials requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly.

After earlier reports that Hasan was dead, Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone, the base commander, said Hasan was alive and in custody.

UPDATE: More details released in carjacking and kidnapping case; suspect is on parole and considered armed and dangerous

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:27 PST

Police are looking for a man who carjacked and attempted to kidnap a woman at gunpoint near the Cal Poly campus Wednesday night.

At 8:45 p.m., Yi Tak Choi, 23, was driving her 2000 Audi A6 at Campus Way and Crandall, according to police. When she stopped at a stop sign, a man knocked on her front passenger window and asked for directions.

The man, later identified by police as Ryan Joseph Soqui, 23 of Grover Beach, then opened the unlocked passenger door and got in the car.

Mountain lion carrying piglet in its mouth seen near the Mission in SLO

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:56 PST

A person reported seeing a mountain lion carrying a small piglet in its mouth climb a tree at Chorro and Mission streets just before 3 a.m. Thursday.

Officers saw the lion, but couldn't tell which direction it went when it left the area.

The lion did not threaten or harm any humans or other domestic animals, police said.

Atascadero police looking for three people who beat and robbed teen

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:36 PST

The Atascadero Police Department is asking for the public�s help in identifying three suspects who assaulted and robbed a 17-year old male resident Oct. 23 on the railroad tracks near Highway 41.

The victim was walking home around 9 p.m. when he was attacked by three unknown, possibly Caucasian, suspects. They punched the victim and then held him to the ground while repeatedly striking him with their fists and feet � leaving him with a broken jaw, multiple lacerations and bruises.

One of the three suspects had curly hair and the other two had shaved heads.

Atascadero woman sentenced to six years in prison for abusing granddaughter

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:19 PST

An Atascadero woman who pleaded no contest in June to locking her 9-year-old granddaughter in closets for days and depriving her of food was sentenced this morning to six years in prison.

Tami Underwood was charged with felony child endangerment in connection with the alleged mistreatment of her granddaughter.

A no-contest plea allows her to be convicted without admitting guilt.

Fort Hood in Texas closed amid reports of several killed in shooting

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:50 PST

By Associated Press -- The U.S. Army has closed its massive Army base at Fort Hood, Texas, amid reports that several people have been shot and killed at the post.

The Web site of the base in central Texas has posted an alert that says, �Effective immediately Fort Hood is closed.� The Web site said that units at the base have been ordered to account for all personnel.

The site says, �This is not a Drill. It is an Emergency Situation.�

Fannie Mae offers borrowers option to foreclosure

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:30 PST

By By ALAN ZIBEL -- Can't pay the mortgage? You still might be able to stay in your home. Government-controlled mortgage company Fannie Mae is going to give borrowers on the verge of foreclosure the option of renting their homes for a year.

The change announced Thursday could give a temporary break to thousands of homeowners, but critics question whether it will only add to the mushrooming losses at the company, which has received billions in taxpayer money.

The new "Deed for Lease" program will allow homeowners to transfer title to Fannie Mae and sign a one-year lease, with potential month-to-month extensions after that. It also helps save money because the lender does not need to complete the often lengthy and time-consuming foreclosure process.

CA officials pledge changes to parole supervision

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:30 PST

By By BROOKE DONALD -- California corrections officials say they're working to improve the monitoring of released sex offenders, responding to a scathing report that cited missed chances to catch the suspect accused of holding Jaycee Dugard captive for 18 years.

The department was slammed in a report released Wednesday by state Inspector General David Shaw for its supervision of convicted sex offender Phillip Garrido, who has been charged with the abduction, rape and imprisonment of Dugard.

When Dugard was finally reunited with her family in August, police say she had spent 18 years living in a ramshackle backyard compound of tents and sheds with two daughters fathered by Garrido. Dugard repeatedly tried to conceal her identity in the hours before it was revealed, telling authorities she was hiding from an abusive husband in Minnesota and defending Garrido, the report says.

Proposed motel-condo project in Cayucos to go before Coastal Commission

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:40 PST

By Bob Cuddy -- A proposed motel-condominium project off Highway 1 in Cayucos will face the scrutiny of the California Coastal Commission next year.

Commissioners voted 12-0 this morning to overrule their staff and consider the project on its merits.

Commissioner Katcho Achadjian, who also sits on the San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors, voted for the coastal board�s review.

Rep. Capps commends bill to speed up new credit card rules

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:26 PST

By Bob Cuddy -- Legislation to speed up the start date of credit card reforms enacted earlier this year has passed the House of Representatives and now goes to the Senate, according to Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara.

The original bill would protect consumers from unfair interest rate hikes on existing balances, double-cycle billing, and �due-date gimmicks,� Capps wrote in a news release.

But it contained a start date of Feb. 22, 2010, and credit card companies have been using the intervening months to �arbitrarily raise interest rates, minimum payments, and fees on consumers,� Capps wrote.