http://www.centralcoastpage.com/modules/slotribune/ 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 Just Browse it! XOOPS - d3pipes http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/03/1274811/calif-assembly-limits-media-recording.html 2010-09-03T17:22:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 By By DON THOMPSON -- The state Assembly this week began enforcing a long-forgotten rule that constrains media coverage of legislative debates by prohibiting audio or video recorders without permission.<p/>The rule requires reporters, television stations - and even lawmakers themselves - to receive advance permission from the Assembly speaker's office before recording or videotaping Assembly sessions. The state Senate does not have a similar rule.<p/>The rule dates to the days when Democrat Willie Brown served as Assembly speaker, a 15-year reign that ended in 1995. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/03/1274727/los-osos-sewer-project-gets-87.html 2010-09-03T13:27:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 The Los Osos sewer project will get $87 million in federal stimulus money, it was announced Friday.<p/>Most of the money is categorized as a low-interest loan, but $4 million is a grant.<p/>The money came from the USDA Water and Environmental Program and is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/03/1274569/pilot-injured-in-chopper-crash.html 2010-09-03T10:57:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 A helicopter has crashed on a busy California highway in Salinas, sending its pilot to the hospital and snarling traffic.<p/>The California Highway Patrol says the helicopter landed upside-down onto Highway 101 shortly after 6 a.m. Friday. The crash happened near Salinas Municipal Airport.<p/>CHP spokeswoman Officer A. Paulson says the pilot was able to walk away from the wreck but complained of pain. He's been taken to the hospital for evaluation. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/03/1274278/birth-tourism-a-tiny-portion-of.html 2010-09-03T09:54:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 By By BOB CHRISTIE and PAUL J. WEBER -- When Ruth Garcia's twins are born in two months, they'll have all the rights of U.S. citizens. They and their six brothers and sisters will be able to vote, apply for federal student loans and even run for president.<p/>Garcia is an illegal immigrant who crossed into the country about 14 years ago, before her children were born, and the citizenship granted to her children and millions others like them is at the center of a divisive national debate.<p/>Republicans are pushing for congressional hearings to consider changing the nation's 14th Amendment to deny such children the automatic citizenship the Constitution guarantees. They say women like Garcia are taking advantage of the constitutional amendment and paint a picture of pregnant women rushing across the border to give birth. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/02/1273101/data-shows-jobless-claims-drop.html 2010-09-03T09:52:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 By By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER -- Private employers hired more workers over the past three months than first thought, a glimmer of hope for the weak economy ahead of the Labor Day weekend. But the unemployment rate rose because not enough jobs were created to absorb the growing number of people looking for work.<p/>Companies added a net total of 67,000 new jobs last month and both July and June's private-sector job figures were upwardly revised, the Labor Department said Friday.<p/>Stocks surged after the report's release but then fell back. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 64 points in morning trading and broader indexes were all up. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/02/1274057/model-airplane-sparks-small-brush.html 2010-09-02T23:13:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 By Tribune staff report -- A model airplane sparked a small brush fire Thursday evening near Paso Robles. <p/>The fire began about 7 p.m. off Geneseo Road near El Pharo Drive, Cal Fire officials said, and threatened nearby structures. Crews had contained the fire by 9 p.m., and no structures were damaged. <p/>Exactly how the fire started remained under investigation Thursday, but officials said the model plane was believed to be the cause. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/02/1273809/slo-county-schools-to-receive.html 2010-09-02T20:23:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 By Cynthia Lambert -- San Luis Obispo County school districts are set to receive about $6 million from the federal Education Jobs Fund, Jack O’Connell, state superintendent of public instruction, announced Thursday.<p/>State Senate Bill 847, which authorized the state Department of Education to disburse the funds, was approved by the California Legislature and is awaiting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature.<p/>Districts across the county will receive money that is designed to allow districts to retain or rehire current and former employees and hire new employees. The funds may not be used for general administrative expenses. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/02/1273735/grandparent-scam-san-luis-obispo.html 2010-09-02T18:39:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 By Nick Wilson -- The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney&#x92;s Office is warning the public of a scam that has been reported by several local law enforcement agencies.<p/>The so-called &#x93;grandparent scam,&#x94; which targets elderly people, involves a call from someone claiming to be a grandchild who's having an emergency. <p/>The caller says they need money &#x97; sent by wire transfer &#x97; to help them out of a dire situation, such as posting bail to get out of jail in a foreign country. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/02/1273300/court-wont-force-calif-officials.html 2010-09-02T14:42:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 A California court has refused to order Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown to appeal a ruling that overturned the state's gay marriage ban.<p/>The 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento on Wednesday denied a conservative legal group's request to force the officials to defend Proposition 8 in court.<p/>The court did not give a reason why it turned down the request by the Pacific Justice Institute. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/02/1273073/gulf-oil-rig-explodes-off-la-coast.html 2010-09-02T11:07:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 By By ALAN SAYRE -- Unlike the blast that led to the massive BP spill, the latest oil platform fire in the Gulf of Mexico killed no one and sent no crude gushing into the water.<p/>The Mariner Energy-owned platform that erupted in flames Thursday was just 200 miles west of the spill site, but everything from the structures to the operations to the safety devices were different.<p/>Yet when word of the latest mishap spread, residents along the coast could think only of the three-month spill that began after the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/02/1272794/economy-tops-1st-boxer-fiorina.html 2010-09-02T09:07:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 By By JUDY LIN -- Sen. Barbara Boxer and Republican challenger Carly Fiorina exchanged feisty jabs on taxes, the economy and their records in Congress and corporate America during the first debate in their Senate race.<p/>Fiorina called Boxer an agent of big government spending, taxes and policies that strangled America's entrepreneurial spirit. Boxer fired back by criticizing Fiorina for serving the interests of "billionaires, millionaires and companies that outsource jobs," rather than average Americans.<p/>The recession and how to turn around California's 12.3 percent jobless rate dominated the debate at St. Mary's College in the San Francisco Bay-area city of Moraga. The forum also allowed the women to contrast their differences on a number of other topics, including abortion, immigration, gay marriage and global warming. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/01/1272667/grover-beach-police-warn-of-phone.html 2010-09-01T23:03:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 By Tribune staff report -- Grover Beach Police are warning citizens of an apparent scam in which callers claim to be federal agents and ask for money. <p/>Officers recently received a call from a resident who said a man called them on their cell phone and claimed to be an agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency. The caller then told the resident they were being investigated for buying illegal drugs at an online pharmacy, according to Grover Beach Police. <p/>The caller then said a warrant would be issued for the citizen’s arrest unless a $3,500 Western Union money transfer was sent. The citizen did not send the money and alerted police, officers said. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/01/1272367/shell-beach-vandalism.html 2010-09-01T19:26:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 By Cynthia Lambert -- Pismo Beach police are investigating a rash of vandalism that happened between 3 and 4:15 a.m. Sunday along Shell Beach Road and caused about $1,500 in damage.<p/>The suspects ripped up irrigation lines, damaged planters and benches, and pushed over large cement trash bins, which had been hand-painted and decorated by local artists, said police Sgt. Tom Portz.<p/>Reports of damage came from 10 different locations from the 300 block to the 1500 block of Shell Beach Road. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/01/1272009/man-accused-of-impersonating-chp.html 2010-09-01T16:05:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 A Bay Area man accused of impersonating a CHP officer in Atascadero in July pleaded not guilty to six charges in a San Luis Obispo courtroom Wednesday.<p/>Mark Ryan Polini, 27, of San Jose, pleaded not guilty to charges of impersonating a police officer, receiving stolen property, two counts of carrying a loaded weapon, child pornography possession and grand theft.<p/>On July 19, police arrested Polini after an officer pulled him over as he was driving an unmarked black 2001 Ford Crown Victoria near the Atascadero Shell station at East Front Street and San Gabriel Road. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/01/1271535/number-of-illegal-immigrants-in.html 2010-09-01T13:49:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 By By HOPE YEN -- The number of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. has dropped for the first time in two decades - decreasing by 8 percent since 2007, a new study finds. The reasons range from the sour economy to Mexican violence and increased U.S. enforcement that has made it harder to sneak across the border.<p/>Much of the decline comes from a sharp drop-off in illegal immigrants from the Caribbean, Central America and South America attempting to cross the southern border of the U.S., according to the Pew Hispanic Center, which based its report on an analysis of 2009 census data.<p/>The findings come amid bitter debate over Arizona's strict new immigration law, which was passed earlier this year but is on hold for now as it is challenged in federal court. The Obama administration contends the state law usurps federal authority and promotes racial profiling, while Arizona leaders say states are justified to step in if federal enforcement falls substantially short. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/01/1271758/man-arrested-in-connection-with.html 2010-09-01T13:20:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 San Luis Obispo County Sheriff&#x92;s deputies have made one arrest in connection with a slew of auto burglaries and thefts in the San Miguel area.<p/>Donald William Kimble was arrested Aug. 29 on suspicion of possessing stolen property, unlawful use of personal identification and theft of a bank access card, all felonies.<p/>He remains in County Jail on a parole hold. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/01/1271408/woman-treated-for-minor-smoke.html 2010-09-01T09:11:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 A Nipomo woman was taken to the hospital Tuesday night after a lamp fell on a mattress, which then caught on fire.<p/>The woman, who lives in the 300 block of Calle Del Sol, said the lamp was smoking, but she was unable to turn it off. The light bulb was thought to be too strong for the fixture.<p/>When fire engines arrived at her house just before 8:30 p.m., smoke had filled a room. Total damage was estimated at $1,500. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/08/31/1271093/calif-senate-votes-to-delay-kindergarten.html 2010-09-01T09:02:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 California would delay kindergarten for thousands of youngsters under a bill approved by the state Senate.<p/>The bill passed 21-15 Tuesday and now heads to the governor. It would require children to have turned 5 by Sept. 1 to begin kindergarten in that school year. The current cutoff date is Dec. 2.<p/>California, Connecticut, Michigan and Vermont are the only states that have a cutoff date later than Dec. 1. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/08/31/1271065/california-senate-approves-open.html 2010-09-01T09:02:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 California lawmakers rejected a bill that would have made it illegal to carry unloaded guns in public.<p/>The Senate narrowly approved the measure Tuesday, the last day of the regular legislative session, on a 21-16 vote, but it failed in the Assembly.<p/>The bill, AB1934, would have made it a misdemeanor to openly carry a handgun in a public place. Current California law permits carrying a rifle or a handgun in a holster if it is not loaded. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/09/01/1271105/senate-defeats-bill-banning-bpa.html 2010-09-01T09:01:00-0500 2010-09-05T00:25:06-0500 The state Senate has defeated a bill that sought to ban the chemical bisphenol A from plastic baby bottles, sippy cups and baby formula containers.<p/>The bill that failed Tuesday would have limited the chemical to trace amounts in food and drink containers intended for use by children age 3 or younger.<p/>Democratic Sen. Fran Pavley of Agoura Hills says scientific studies show the chemical commonly known as BPA can harm the development of young children.