SanLuisObispo.com: Breaking News

Weyrich property auctions postponed until Tuesday

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:51 PST

The public auction today of key properties owned by David Weyrich -- one of the most prominent businessmen in the county � was postponed until Tuesday, at 11:30 a.m. on the steps of San Luis Obispo�s old courthouse on Osos Street.

The holdings being foreclosed on are the Martin and Weyrich Winery with more than 250 acres of vineyards; Villa Toscana, the luxury bed-and-breakfast inn nestled in the Martin and Weyrich vineyards on Paso Robles� eastside; two tasting rooms; the York Mountain Winery and vineyards in Templeton; and the 280-acre Jack Ranch Vineyard in Edna Valley, according to notices of trustee�s sales filed with San Luis Obispo County. The properties were put up as collateral for an estimated $20 million that Weyrich has borrowed from Transamerica Financial Life Insurance Co., a subsidiary of Netherlands-based AEGON, official documents show.

Between 40 and 50 people gathered on the courthouse steps to watch the noontime proceeding. Some said they had no stake in the auction, but were simply there for curiosity; others were brokers who would only say they were representing �interested parties,� and still others said they would make bids if the auction proceeded.

H1N1 vaccine clinics scheduled for Monday in SLO County

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:34 PST

High-risk individuals without access to the H1N1 vaccine through a private provider can try to get one of the approximately 18,000 remaining doses the county is scheduled to disperse from 3 to 6 p.m. Nov. 23 at vaccination clinics in Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo and Grover Beach.

Monday's clinic will also be open to children older than 6 months but not yet in school who are unable to access vaccine through private providers.

Those at high-risk include:

Pregnant women
Caregivers of infants under six month of age
Health care professionals
Children and young adults to age 24
Adults 19-64 with underlying health conditions like asthma, diabetes or neuromuscular disease

For more information and directions, call 781-5500.

San Miguel man will go to trial for shooting death of his wife

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:18 PST

The San Miguel man accused of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of his wife will stand trial, a judge ruled Friday.

John Aaron Norris, 25, is accused of accidentally shooting his wife, Tasha Dawn Norris, on July 9 at the couple�s townhouse in the 500 block of 11th Street.

Judge Michael Duffy ruled that enough evidence was presented by Deputy District Attorney Matt Kerrigan at a preliminary hearing to warrant a full trial.

Paso Robles residents urged to secure homes after rash of daytime burglaries

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:28 PST

Paso Robles residents should make sure their doors and windows are locked as several daytime burglaries have been reported recently on the city's west side, police said.

The burglaries are mostly occurring on weekdays, according to police, and the thieves are gaining entry by kicking in doors or climbing through unlocked windows. Large electronics and jewelry have been stolen, police said.

In a recent burglary, a Hispanic male between 18 and 24 years old with a stocky build and facial hair was seen in the area, according to police.

Wal-Mart developers scale down plans for Atascadero store

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:41 PST

The developers of the planned Wal-Mart in Atascadero are expected to once again revise the project � but this time making it smaller.

Wal-Mart representatives met with city officials this week to discuss revised plans that will scale down the size of the project by nearly 40,000 square feet.

The new plans will eliminate a tire-and-lube center, a drive-through pharmacy and some space for merchandise. It will still include groceries, said Aaron Rios, a Wal-Mart spokesman.

Schwarzenegger after-school program ties up budget

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:06 PST

By By JULIET WILLIAMS -- With California facing another mammoth budget deficit, the state's nonpartisan legislative analyst says voters should reconsider some of the billions of dollars tied up in ballot measures they have approved in recent years.

Among the suggestions from Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor is an after-school measure that costs $550 million a year and helped launch Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's political career. It is one of many programs contributing to the "autopilot spending" that the Republican governor and fiscal watchdogs often complain about because the plans were approved by voters without specific funding sources.

Taylor's office this week said California will face a $21 billion deficit over the next year and a half, and $20 billion budget shortfalls each of the next several years.

AP IMPACT: Gripes about swine flu vaccine abound

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:02 PST

By By MIKE STOBBE -- When the nation's swine flu vaccination program began in early October, health officials predicted it was going to be "messy." They were right.

The program has been plagued with problems and information gaps:

-Health officials have been terrible at predicting when and how much vaccine would be available. Only about 44 million doses have been shipped so far. Initially, officials said more than three times that would be out by now.

Prepare for rain tonight, next week

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:54 PST

Increasing clouds today will lead to rain by tonight, weather forecasters are predicting.

John Lindsey, community relations representative for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. in San Luis Obispo and a local forecaster, said a storm system has developed off the Oregon coast.

It is expected to slide southward today and should pass over San Luis Obispo County by this evening.

Masson Blow, former Cal Poly wrestler, pleads no contest in deadly April crash

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:42 PST

By Nick Wilson -- A former Cal Poly wrestler pleaded no contest this week to charges of vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving causing bodily injury in a crash on Highway 41 in April that killed two people.

Masson Blow, 19, will be sentenced Jan. 19 in Judge Dodie Harman�s courtroom. He faces up to seven years and four months in prison. Blow�s attorney, Matt Guerrero, said Thursday that he�ll request probation and no jail time for his client, citing a lack of malfeasance.

A no-contest plea results in a conviction without an admission of guilt.

Oprah Winfrey to announce Friday that her show will end in 2011

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:53 PST

Oprah Winfrey�s production company says Winfrey will announce Friday that her talk show will end in 2011 after its 25th season on the air.

Chicago-based Harpo Productions Inc. said Thursday night that the talk show host will give more details live on the �The Oprah Winfrey Show� broadcast Friday.

Winfrey started her broadcasting career in Nashville, Tenn., and Baltimore, Md., before relocating to Chicago in 1984 to host WLS-TV�s morning talk show �A.M. Chicago.�

Actor Luke Perry coming to Paso Robles film festival this weekend

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:23 PST

�Beverly Hills, 90210� heartthrob Luke Perry will make an appearance at the Paso Robles Digital Film Festival this weekend, festival founder Benford Stanley announced.

Perry will be on hand Friday night to promote the documentary �The Challenge of Champions: The Story of Lane Frost and Red Rock,� about the famed PRCA World Champion bullrider. He portrayed Frost in the 1994 movie �8 Seconds.�

�If all the girls here hear Luke Perry�s coming, we could have a riot,� joked Stanley. �He�s a great guy. He really is.�

Ian Parkinson plans 'Girls' Night Out' fundraiser tonight at Palm Theater

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:27 PST

By Sally Connell -- Ian Parkinson, a San Luis Obispo police captain who is running for county sheriff, is holding a �Girls� Night Out� fundraising event tonight at the Palm Theater.

�It�s just a fundraiser,� Parkinson said today. �The theory is that people get tired of barbecues, and this is a different kind of fundraiser.�

The event starts before the 9:30 p.m. screening of the movie �Love Actually� and the price of admission is included in the $25 price for the fundraiser.

Cal Poly students handed religious group's version of Darwin's 'The Origin of Species'

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:28 PST

By Bob Cuddy -- A creationist group handed out 1,000 free copies of Darwin�s �The Origin of Species� at Cal Poly on Wednesday morning, but there was a hitch � their version included a 50-page introduction discrediting Darwin and promoting their version of Christianity.

As many as 1,000 students on the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo received the 150th anniversary edition of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species, according to Alan Peek of the religious group Living Waters.

There were no incidents, Peek said, whereas at some campuses the group�s effort is met with hostility. Some students accept the book and rip out the introduction, he wrote in an e-mail to The Tribune.

AP Exclusive: Muslim countries seek blasphemy ban

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:01 PST

By By FRANK JORDANS -- Four years after cartoons of the prophet Muhammad set off violent protests across the Muslim world, Islamic nations are mounting a campaign for an international treaty to protect religious symbols and beliefs from mockery - essentially a ban on blasphemy that would put them on a collision course with free speech laws in the West.

Documents obtained by The Associated Press show that Algeria and Pakistan have taken the lead in lobbying to eventually bring the proposal to a vote in the U.N. General Assembly.

If ratified in countries that enshrine freedom of expression as a fundamental right, such a treaty would require them to limit free speech if it risks seriously offending religious believers. The process, though, will take years and no showdown is imminent.

LA airport cancels flight delay warning

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:26 PST

Los Angeles International Airport now says there won't be any significant delays from an FAA computer glitch that caused disruptions at other U.S. airports.

The problem kept traffic controllers from getting automated flight plans for about four hours.

LAX had feared that it would be hit with flight delays Thursday afternoon in a domino effect because of problems in airports in the South and East.

16-year-old Paso boy suspected in 'extensive graffiti' on Spring Street, police say

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:36 PST

By Tonya Strickland -- A 16-year-old Paso Robles boy was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of felony vandalism, police confirmed.

The teenager, whose name police are not releasing because he is a minor, is accused of causing the �extensive graffiti� near the 3200 block of Spring Street that occurred Nov. 5, according to police. Officers are looking for additional witnesses and suspects.

During their investigation, officers located a witness who identified the teenager as a suspect, police said. The youth was booked into the San Luis Obispo County Juvenile Services Center.

Meg Whitman, GOP gubernatorial candidate, says during SLO visit she'd trim bureaucracy

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:06 PST

By Bob Cuddy -- California GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman says she would �skinny down the bureaucracy� if she wins the election, saving 12,000 jobs a year for three years by not hiring people to replace state employees who have left.

The proposal was one of several suggestions Whitman proposed for tackling the state�s budget crisis. A report Wednesday morning predicted a $20 billion budget deficit in the coming fiscal year.

Whitman, one of the leading candidates for the Republican nomination for governor in 2010, stopped by Tolosa Winery in San Luis Obispo on Wednesday evening to speak with supporters.

Task force doctor stands by mammogram advice

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:01 PST

By By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID -- A member of the independent panel whose new mammogram recommendations have led to confusion defended the task force's report, saying Thursday that it was based on the most up-to-date, accurate information available.

Dr. Timothy Wilt, a member of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, stuck by its recommendation that most women don't need mammograms in their 40s and should get one every two years starting at 50. The American Cancer Society's long-standing position has been that women should get annual cancer-screening mammograms starting at age 40.

The panel's recommendations "were based on the most rigorous peer review of up-to-date, accurate information about the evidence about the harms and benefits of treatment," Wilt said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

Leggo my Eggo! Kellogg fights waffle shortage

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:53 PST

By Dorie Turner -- Dear Kellogg: Leggo my Eggo!

Kellogg Co. says there will be a nationwide shortage of its popular Eggo frozen waffles until next summer because of interruptions in production at two of the four plants that make them.

The company's Atlanta plant was shut down for an undisclosed period by a September storm that dumped historic amounts of rain in the area. Meanwhile, several production lines at its largest bakery in Rossville, Tenn., are closed indefinitely for repairs, company spokeswoman Kris Charles said in an e-mail.

Obama: Professed 9/11 mastermind will be convicted

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:58 PST

By By DEVLIN BARRETT -- President Barack Obama predicted that professed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be convicted and executed as Attorney General Eric Holder proclaimed: "Failure is not an option."

Even if a terror trial suspect were acquitted, Holder said, he would not be released in the United States.

In one of a series of TV interviews during his trip to Asia, Obama said those offended by the legal privileges given to Mohammed by virtue of getting a civilian trial rather than a military tribunal won't find it "offensive at all when he's convicted and when the death penalty is applied to him."