Child falls through grocery store roof and a fatal drowning. Today’s top stories
From a drowning at Lopez Lake to a child’s fall through a grocery store skylight, San Luis Obispo County saw a busy news day Wednesday.
Here’s a rundown of what The Tribune covered on July 1, 2026.
- Drowning at Lopez Lake: Nathan Martinez, a 20-year-old Santa Maria resident, died while swimming at Lopez Lake on Tuesday afternoon after appearing to be in distress and going underwater. Bystanders pulled him from the water and performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead at Arroyo Grande Community Hospital.
- High Street Deli’s third location: The popular sandwich shop held a soft opening for its third San Luis Obispo County location on Tuesday at 3427 Roberto Court. The site includes an adjoining bar called the Green Bottle that will serve beer, wine and cocktails made with on-site distilled vodka once the liquor license is approved.
- Arrest in sandwich shop vandalism: San Luis Obispo police arrested 42-year-old Benjamin Weldon on Tuesday for allegedly using a blue marker to vandalize High Street Deli, causing more than $7,000 in damage. Officers said he also vandalized Lincoln Deli the same day, causing roughly $1,000 in damage, before being taken into custody near downtown at 11:15 p.m.
- Child falls through grocery store skylight: A child was transported to a local trauma center after falling through a skylight at the Grocery Outlet at 1314 Madonna Road in San Luis Obispo on Wednesday afternoon. Emergency responders were called to the scene around 3:42 p.m., and the extent of the child’s injuries was not immediately confirmed.
- Cockroach infestation shuts down restaurant: Mediterranean Spice in Paso Robles was briefly closed in May after inspectors observed cockroaches “in multiple stages of life” in numerous critical areas. The restaurant was allowed to reopen after a June 10 reinspection confirmed the infestation had been eradicated.
- Controlled burn near Highway 101: Cal Fire crews conducted a 30-acre controlled burn east of Santa Margarita on Wednesday to reduce wildfire risk and improve oak woodland habitat. Smoke from the MC Ranch VMP burn was expected to be visible from Highway 101 and surrounding areas.
- Former supervisor Ruth Brackett remembered: Ruth Brackett, a Republican government watchdog who served three terms on the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors, died on Jan. 28 at age 85. In 1986, she became the first woman to chair the Board of Supervisors in its 133-year history, and she counted a new Nipomo library and additional county fire stations among her proudest achievements.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.