Kelly Gearhart wins sentencing reduction
Notorious North County developer Kelly Gearhart won a five-year sentence reduction on June 11. He is now scheduled for release on March 2, 2023. Read More …
Category: Special Reports
SLO County proposing hemp moratorium
While growing and selling marijuana is legal in San Luis Obispo County, officials are planning to place a temporary moratorium on the growing of industrial hemp in part to protect the county’s budding marijuana industry. Read More …
Grover Beach church leaders accused of misappropriation
A group of parishioners fighting to retain control of Bethel Baptist Church in Grover Beach has accused a former pastor of misappropriating church money. They say that Ronald Kennedy used church money to pay off personal credit card debt and gave more than $20,000 to a defunct nonprofit corporation while saying that the church needed to be dissolved because it was in financial trouble. Read More …
SLO city budget doubles over eight years, surpasses $200 million
The city of San Luis Obispo’s budget has more than doubled from approximately $100 million to more than $200 million over the last eight years. Read More …
Mayor Harmon hits up nonprofit for new glasses
While the very poor receive government healthcare benefits, part time or minimum wage workers are often unable to afford health insurance. The Noor Foundation in San Luis Obispo fills the gap providing medical care, medications, dentistry, and eye glasses to the uninsured. Read More …
SLO county accused of bypassing environmental laws for marijuana farmers
A citizens group from Nipomo filed a lawsuit last week against San Luis Obispo County over a permit issued to a marijuana cultivator, arguing county officials gave the green light without environmental reviews required by state law. Read More …
SLO worker convicted of assault to serve time in ‘pay-to-stay’ jail
The San Luis Obispo city employee, whose unprovoked assault on a woman and a man at an Avila Beach bar caused public outrage, will serve his time behind bars at a “pay-to-stay” jail. Read More …
SLO County’s tarnished brass
Officer Trevor Shipman kept his job with the Fresno Police Department after he shot and killed a man during a traffic stop over a seat belt violation. The family of the deceased man then filed a lawsuit for excessive use of force and Shipman left the department. He then applied for a job with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department, and was hired. Read More …
Judge denies motion to remove parishioners from Bethel Baptist Church
A San Luis Obispo County judge denied a request to keep members of the Bethel Baptist Church from holding services at the church on Newport Avenue. The question of ownership led Judge Ginger Garrett to say she was inclined to deny the request from the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) for a temporary restraining order against parishioners. Read More …
SLO County releases portions of harassment complaints
Two weeks after the head of the San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department resigned, the county released portions of three harassment complaints lodged by staffers. Read More …