Judge rules San Luis Obispo County murder suspect can stand trial
By JOSH FRIEDMAN A San Luis Obispo County judge ruled on Wednesday that enough evidence exists for a defendant to stand trial for the murder of a Santa Maria man on Highway 166 last November. Abel Angel Santiago, 23, is headed to trial on all charges, including murder, conspiracy to...
Santa Barbara man allegedly injected teen with meth, assaulted her
By JOSH FRIEDMAN Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s detectives arrested a 50-year-old man for allegedly injecting an underaged girl with methamphetamine. The suspect is also accused of sexually assaulting the teen. In May, sheriff’s detectives launched an investigation involving Jeffrey Kyle Snyder. During the investigation, detectives determined that Snyder met a...
Sable Offshore seeks Trump’s help to seize land for pipeline
By KAREN VELIE In the ongoing battle over pumping oil off the coast of Santa Barbara and transporting it through the Santa Ynez pipeline system, Sable Offshore is now asking the Trump administration to exercise eminent domain over state and private lands. While state officials and environmental groups attempt to...
A republic if you can keep it
OPINION by ANDY CALDWELL These words of Benjamin Franklin, in response to the question, what kind of government was the United States to have, a republic or a democracy, are exceedingly prescient today, for we are surrounded, infected, and infested by enemies within and without. The four enemies I will...
Man sexually batters stranger outside store in Lompoc, arrested
By KAREN VELIE Lompoc police officers tracked down and arrested a 29-year-old man who allegedly stuck his hands down a woman’s pants outside a store on Sunday. Shortly after 5 p.m. on Sunday, the victim and a family member were walking near West Ocean Avenue and L Street when they...
Fire burns 300 acres in San Luis Obispo County, evacuations ordered
By KAREN VELIE A fire in rural San Luis Obispo County has burned 300 acres leading to evacuations, according to Cal Fire. Shortly after 3 p.m., a caller reported a blaze burning near Black Bear Road and Big Basin Trail off Highway 58 in California Valley. The wildfire is spreading...
Addis’ bill should protect all victims, including the most vulnerable
OPINION by GREG BURT A bill designed to keep convicted sex offenders out of public office cleared the Assembly floor 67 to 0. Then it went through the Senate Elections Committee, chaired by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), and came out with a hole in it big enough for child...
