It was hard to watch a grown man like Noe Chang Sr. break down. He sobbed loudly while the judge and lawyers in the SLO County courtroom remained stone-faced. His wife joined him soon after, and the couple watched as two of their sons were handcuffed and led away from them as they wept. The […]
CHRIS MCGUINNESS
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Strength and survival: State and local agencies reach out to help victims move forward with their lives
Last year Santa Maria had one of the highest homicide rates in its history. In its wake family, friends, and loved ones were left to pick up the pieces. Often, there are unplanned burial expenses, unpaid bills, relocation, and needed services to help them with emotional and mental health. In the case of sex crimes, […]
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A hard look: New bill would study economic impact of shuttering Diablo Canyon
The silhouette of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant is an iconic and familiar sight for Central Coast residents—two giant bell-shaped reactors perched atop the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Diablo is the state’s remaining operating nuclear power plant, and has both opponents and fans. One side pushes to shut the plant down over seismic […]
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Rail spur hearing draws hundreds
Hundreds of individuals from inside and outside SLO County gathered for a two-day Planning Commission hearing on a proposed rail extension project by the Phillips 66 oil company. The project, which would allow the company to transport crude oil by train to its Santa Maria Refinery on the Nipomo Mesa, drew heavy criticism from local […]
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Homecare giant ResCare faces lawsuit after caretaker with a criminal past allegedly attacked autistic man
The video is disturbing. It’s July 20 and the alleged victim, a severely autistic man in his early 20s, sits at a table playing with a puzzle in a living room. After arguing about what appears to be a possible trip to the beach, the man’s caretaker, identified as Scott Allen Rogers of ResCare Homecare, […]
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Safety on the tracks: A rail project proposal has caused debate among coastal residents, but how safe is rail transport in general, and are first responders ready to handle a potential emergency?
Miles and miles of railroad track snake up the California coast though big cities and small towns. For coastal residents in SLO and Santa Barbara counties, those rails and the trains that run on them were a seemingly banal part of every day existence. Walking in cities like Santa Barbara, Guadalupe, Pismo Beach, and San […]
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Nipomo CSD accused of violating Brown Act
If plans for development at Nipomo’s Blacklake Golf Resort weren’t already controversial enough, one local man is taking the small South County town’s Community Services District to court over it. Nipomo resident Noel Heal filed a petition in SLO County Superior Court claiming that the CSD violated the state’s public meeting laws during a discussion […]
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Nipomo dispensary appealed to SLO County Supervisors
Will Nipomo be the home of SLO County’s only brick-and-mortar medical marijuana dispensary? Looks like that decision will be up to the five members of the SLO County Board of Supervisors. Nipomo residents filed an appeal to the county Planning Commission’s July 9 vote to approve a minor use permit for mobile medical marijuana company […]
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Lucia Mar Unified School District sued over bullying claims
The parent of a former Nipomo High School student is suing the Lucia Mar Unified School District in federal court, claiming that a physical education coach forced her son into activities against the advice of doctors and later bullied the teen when she brought up the problems to school and district officials. The lawsuit, filed […]