Local

Temporary monitoring stations will take samples around the Nipomo Mesa in March, April and May looking for dust particles during the windy season

Two psychologists in two days testify that Atascadero man who admitted killing his wife did not know right from wrong

San Luis Obispo city firefighters and police responded to a man who fell into Stenner Creek near Chorro and Lincoln streets around 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Bodegas Paso Robles, which specializes in Spanish and Portuguese varietals, was one of two American wine producers to win gold at the seventh annual international contest of tempranillos.

Hospice du Rhône organizers are encouraging syrah fans to tweet loud and proud about this food-friendly red Thursday, which they’ve proclaimed #Syrah Day.

Accusations of sexual harassment and ticket quotas have placed a new spotlight on Paso Robles’ police chief, who has weathered some high-profile problems in the past but has also made significant gains in reducing crime and maintaining response times in the face of reduced budgets and cuts to the number of sworn officers on patrol.

A psychologist testified Wednesday that an Atascadero man, who is accused of bludgeoning his wife to death with a hammer in 2008, believed he was sacrificing her to perform God’s will.

A Cuesta College faculty chair is being sued by four women claiming sexual harassment, among other charges.

The days leading up to Valentine’s Day are some of the busiest of the year for many local retailers. Joe Goldberg, president and CEO of Skyline Flower Growers in Nipomo, is ramping up operations at all of his production centers.

San Luis Obispo County supervisors unanimously supported a 4-mile-long shaded fuel break between Cambria’s northern and eastern boundaries and the heavily forested Cambria Ranch by the Sea.

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors dealt with menacing animals, parent-teacher associations, firefighters’ equipment, the tourist economy and other matters during a busy meeting Tuesday.

Rebecca French, an assessment coordinator for San Luis Obispo County Office of Education, was recently appointed to serve on the Personnel Commission for San Luis Coastal Unified School District.

A panel of state policymakers including Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom will discuss California’s future and its impacts on the local economy at the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce’s 2012 State of the State legislative event.

Teachers in a packed room implored the Paso Robles School District on Tuesday night to resume salary negotiations that are certain to result in pay cuts.

The public called upon the Paso Robles City Council on Tuesday for a fair and impartial investigation into recent allegations against police Chief Lisa Solomon regarding illegal traffic-ticket quotas and sexual harassment.

Atascadero Junior High School will get a new look but keep its current site, school board members decided Tuesday night. The Atascadero Unified School District Board of Trustees unanimously approved a massive overhaul of the junior high school campus at Lewis and Olmeda avenues.

The sprinkling of rain that came Tuesday did little to alleviate San Luis Obispo County’s dry conditions, but a change in the long-term weather pattern may bring some relief.

The doors are open at one retailer new to San Luis Obispo County and soon will open for another. Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market celebrated its grand opening today, and Dick’s Sporting Goods is set to open early next month.

San Luis Obispo firefighters will forgo pay increases for four years, pay their full pension contribution and begin a two-tier pension plan, according to a tentative agreement.

The Five Cities Fire Authority is still in its infancy, but leaders of the South County fire agency are already talking about the next step: going to local voters to lock in long-term funding.