SanLuisObispo.com: Local

Cuesta student among veterans awaiting GI Bill funds

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:02 PST

By Sona Patel -- For the past couple of months, James Foote�s part-time job helped him pay for college expenses as he waited for money promised to him from the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

The delay has been longer than expected for him and thousands of other student veterans, forcing them to figure out how to pay for housing, tuition, books and other expenses on their own.

�Luckily I tried to keep money in the bank and got a part-time job,� said Foote, who works about 20 to 30 hours a week for the Cuesta College Police Department.

Economic forecast for San Luis Obispo County sees recovery next year

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:52 PST

By Julie Lynem -- With mounting job losses, the housing market collapse and dwindling consumer spending, San Luis Obispo County�s economy has not been spared the pain of one of the worst recessions in decades.

Despite these tough times, there is a glimmer of light at the end of a dark and gloomy tunnel, economists say.

�You went into the recession earlier than other areas, but you�ll come out of it much earlier than other communities,�� said Brad Kemp, director of regional research for Beacon Economics.

Poly unions receive notice of possible layoffs

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:46 PST

By Nick Wilson -- The unions representing Cal Poly�s faculty and staff have received notices that could pave the way for layoffs at the university.

No specific job cuts have been discussed, and union leaders said the Oct. 28 letter from the Office of the Chancellor is a legal precursor that�s part of a collective bargaining agreement.

Cal State University officials say budget shortages and an ongoing, planned reduction in enrollment by 40,000 students by the end of 2010-2011 mean layoffs may need to be implemented in the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

Considering business: Veterans get a chance

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:34 PST

Veterans and others interested in starting or expanding a business turned out Friday for a free, multi-agency entrepreneurship conference at the Veterans Memorial Building in San Luis Obispo.

Milt Batson, veterans workforce specialist with the Employment Development Department, said statistics show that about one in four veterans picks self-employment as a career.

Topics covered at the event included self-employment, federal business contracts and franchise opportunities.

Biz Buzz: County unemployment rate improves

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:32 PST

San Luis Obispo County�s unemployment rate fell to 9 percent in September, down from 9.5 percent in August, according to the latest report from the state�s Employment Development Department.

That�s lower than 12 percent for all of California and better than many other areas across the state, including neighboring Monterey County with a 10 percent unemployment rate.

Still, San Luis Obispo County�s 9 percent is significantly higher than the 6 percent recorded in the same month a year ago. In September, 125,900 people were employed in the county out of a total labor force of 138,400.

Coastal Commission to rule on motel-condo project proposed for Cayucos

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:30 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 Wednesday 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.

Environment, ag given higher profile on local water board

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:28 PST

By Bob Cuddy -- Seeking to correct an imbalance they believe has short-changed agricultural and environmental interests on their most important water advisory board, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday expanded the committee to include both groups.

The additions came at the request of the Water Resources Advisory Committee, a 32-member volunteer body that advises the board on the critical issue of water.

Committee member Eric Greening likened the committee to a 3-legged stool: agricultural, environmental and urban water interests. The latter has a much longer leg, he said.

SLO County Roundup

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:27 PST

Morro Bay

A memorial fund has been set up for David Kubiak, the Morro Bay fisherman who died at sea 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.

Photos: Monks make mandalas at Cal Poly

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:14 PST

The mandala features intricate patterns and blends of brightly colored sand.

Students can watch as the monks work on different parts of the mandala in Cal Poly�s University Union.

Each monk holds a chak-pur in one hand while running a metal rod on its serrated surface; the vibration causes the grains to flow onto the painting.

Teen girls in Atascadero report sexual assaults

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:36 PST

By AnnMarie Cornejo -- Detectives with the Atascadero Police Department are investigating the alleged sexual assaults of two girls early Sunday morning.

Police on Thursday were looking for suspect Carlos Antonio Zarate, 23, of Atascadero, and are asking for the public�s help in locating him.

Family members of the two unrelated girls, ages 14 and 15, reported the alleged assaults to the Police Department on Sunday.

Cuesta OKs furloughs for nonteachers

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:44 PST

By Sona Patel -- The Cuesta College Board of Trustees has approved furloughs for nonteaching employees as a way to stave off layoffs and reinstate positions and assignment reductions made in the past couple of months.

The move comes after heated board meetings and staff combing budgets to determine how to save jobs amid a nearly $6 million budget shortfall.

Under the furlough plan approved Wednesday � which will save the district about $215,000 � full-time non-teaching employees will lose five hours of pay each month between now and June 30 � a total of 40 hours � spokeswoman Jill Ivie said. Part-timers will have their pay cut proportionally.

Mountain lion�s dinner is a SLO piglet

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:43 PST

By Sally Connell -- Brittany Couch had already decided to keep her animals inside at night after seeing a mountain lion kill a piglet behind her house two weeks ago.

It didn�t help that she saw what might be the same predator do the same thing 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 to Old Garden Creek, the drainage for Bishop Peak and much of the Foothill Boulevard area.

Best bet is to call your doctor

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:11 PST

By Sally Connell -- The demand for the H1N1 vaccine remains high, and the county Public Health Department is advising pregnant women and people in other priority groups to contact their health professional directly to get the shot.

The department reports 21 hospitalizations countywide to date, and one death consistent with H1N1 infection. There have been only 111 laboratory confirmations of the disease, although health professionals in the county, state and nation believe that the predominant influenza strain in the community currently is H1N1.

The Public Health Department itself does not have extra vaccines at this point, and it will make announcements as they become available, according to spokeswoman Michelle Shoresman.

Woman gets prison for child endangerment

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:04 PST

By Nick Wilson -- An Atascadero woman who locked her 10-year-old granddaughter in a closet for days was sentenced to six years in state prison on Thursday.

Tammi Underwood, 43, received her sentence from Judge Dodie A. Harman after entering a plea of no contest in June to felony child endangerment.

A no-contest plea results in a conviction without admitting guilt.

Biz Buzz: Top 20 Under 40 nominations needed soon

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:02 PST

If you want to nominate someone for The Tribune�s Top 20 Under 40 competition, there�s less than a week left. The deadline is Wednesday.

The award, in its fifth year, honors 20 women and men younger than age 40 who have demonstrated leadership in their professions and communities.

To be eligible, nominees must live and work in San Luis Obispo County year-round and demonstrate a strong commitment to community service.

SLO County Roundup

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:00 PST

North Coast

Motorists traveling on Highway 1 just north of Ragged Point will find one-way traffic control from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting Monday.

Delays should not exceed 20 minutes, according a Caltrans news release. The work is part of the first phase of a Caltrans project to improve drainage in the area.

Dan Krieger: Cal Poly has weathered hard times over the years

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:58 PST

By Dan Krieger -- Plummeting milk prices and state budget cutbacks were forcing Cal Poly to reduce the milking herd to 30 animals from 150. The announcement earlier this month came amid other cutbacks, work furloughs and project delays and cancellations that have shaken our university and the greater community.

Fortunately, alumni and friends of Cal Poly within the dairy industry have postponed that decision.

It�s all reminiscent of the events of the 1920s, particularly 1923-24, when Poly President Nicholas Ricciardi had to deal with a new state governor who wanted to close the school.

Wine Notes: Phantom Rivers Wine

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:45 PST

By Janis Switzer -- For the past three years, the Nipomo Wine Group has been selling its Phantom Rivers Wine through its wine club and Web site, local wine retailers and a handful of restaurants stretching from Los Angeles to the Bay Area.

When I first wrote about them in July 2006, partner Steve Mathis admitted the venture was �really still a work in progress.�

Since then, the wine group has definitely been moving things along, and last month it took the next step, opening a new tasting room in a beautifully remodeled old home in the heart of the Arroyo Grande Village. The Nipomo Wine Group is a collaboration of four couples who had been making wine separately as home winemakers for years and decided to join forces in 2004, renting space at Central Coast Wine Services and getting the necessary financing to buy grapes, barrels and other equipment.

Los Osos fisherman's death is a loss to dwindling brethren

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:24 PST

By Sona Patel -- Central Coast fishermen mourned one of their own on Wednesday, a day after 47-year-old David Allen Kubiak fell off his boat and was found five miles off the coast of Cambria.

Kubiak, of Los Osos, appeared to have fallen overboard sometime overnight Monday, sheriff�s spokesman Rob Bryn said. His body was discovered at 10:40 Tuesday morning.

The 39-foot boat, Axel, which is ported in Morro Bay, was spotted by someone on another fishing boat named Miss Allison, officials said.

Solar power company drops out of plans for Carrizo Plain in eastern San Luis Obispo County

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:20 PST

By David Sneed -- A 177-megawatt solar thermal power plant proposed for the Carrizo Plain will not be built.

In a deal announced Wednesday, First Solar purchased the one-square-mile property upon which Ausra Inc. had proposed building its solar thermal plant. Doing so will now allow First Solar to reconfigure its Topaz Solar Farm, a large photovoltaic plant being planned nearby.

�The Topaz Solar Farm remains the same size, 550 megawatts, but the acquisition means one less solar project in the region and provides options for Topaz improvements like wildlife movement corridors and minimized use of Williamson Act land,� said Kathryn Arbeit, First Solar business development director.