SanLuisObispo.com: Local

Expert says drug dose not excessive

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:53 PST

By Leslie Parrilla -- A pain management expert testified Wednesday he would have doubled the dosage of painkillers for a patient like the one at the center of a nationally publicized organ transplant criminal trial in San Luis Obispo Superior Court.

That testimony was intended to weaken the prosecution’s argument that the surgeon on trial ordered excessive drugs to speed up the patient’s death.

Dr. Ray Damours — who specializes in pain management and anesthesiology — told jurors in a San Luis Obispo courtroom that there was no way of knowing whether comatose patients like 25-year-old Ruben Navarro are suffering and that he would have given more medication than the defendant had ordered.

Cement truck overturns in Morro Bay; onramp closed indefinitely

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:41 PST

A cement truck that overturned in Morro Bay Thursday shut down an onramp that may not open for several hours.

No one was injured in the accident that happened around 10:20 a.m. on the Highway 41 onramp to southbound Highway 1, according to California Highway Patrol officials.

The cement truck collapsed onto its side for unknown reasons and emergency workers were trying to upright it, CHP officials said.

Lucky kitty: PetSmart manager frees kitten stuck in planter wall near store for several days

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:38 PST

By Bill Morem -- Call her Lucky.

What other name would be appropriate for a kitten that survived being stuck in a wall for as long as a week before finally being rescued?

Paul Williams, manager of PetSmart in the Irish Hills Shopping Center, said customers were coming into his store late last week and telling him they could hear a cat crying from somewhere inside a planter next to his building.

Fraternity previously on probation before death of Cal Poly student

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:33 PST

By Nick Wilson and Tonya Strickland -- Cal Poly officials said Wednesday the fraternity that freshman Carson Starkey was pledging when he died was on probation for six months earlier this year because police had to be called to a noisy party.

Starkey, 18, was found unresponsive at 6:24 a.m. Tuesday by students in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity who were living in a private home in San Luis Obispo near the campus, according to police.

The student from Austin, Texas, was taken to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, where he died. Authorities are investigating what role alcohol might have played in Starkey’s death. An autopsy is scheduled for today.

Amgen Tour organizers set finish line in Paso Robles

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:23 PST

Cyclists in the 2009 Amgen Tour of California will sprint into downtown Paso Robles to a finish line at 11th and Spring streets, according to a city announcement this morning.

The 145-mile route from Visalia to Paso will be the longest stretch in the multi-day race, taking them through San Joaquin Valley flat lands, through cattle ranches and onto Highway 46 east from Kern County. A visual highlight for spectators, officials said, is when cyclists will round out from Creston road and over Niblick Bridge as they enter downtown.

Their expected arrival time to Paso's stage 5 will be between 3 and 4:22 p.m.

SLO County Roundup

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:25 PST

Grover Beach

The Grover Beach City Council has decided to fill its vacant seat by appointment, according to City Manager Bob Perrault.

The vacancy was created when Councilman John Shoals ran for mayor and won in November, leaving his seat open.

Nipomo card table plan raises concern

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:51 PST

By Nick Wilson -- A card room has been proposed for a space in a shopping center on West Tefft Street in Nipomo, but some locals object to the idea, citing the potential for customers to lose money through gambling and a greater need for law officers to respond to incidents.

But a partner in the project promises a safely run operation with security at night, and pledges to hold fundraisers for community organizations.

Next week, the county Planning Commission will consider approval of a conditional- use permit for the card room that would go into the commercial retail center at 622 W. Tefft St. The center includes Antonio’s Restaurante and Art of Flowers.

Bill Morem: Up on the roof the plain choice for solar

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:41 PST

By Bill Morem -- Solar power’s a good thing, right? I mean, weaning ourselves from oil addiction and embracing renewable energy not only loosens the Middle East’s grip on us—hopefully lessening a revenue source for terrorism —but it makes sense in cutting CO2 emissions in light of climate change.

But while Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is sinking resources into meeting a state mandate of producing 20 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2010, should the Carrisa Plains be targeted for carrying out that mandate?

To the untrained eye, the plains seem barren, even desolate, but nothing could be further from the truth. It’s because of its isolation that a variety of species like the endangered San Joaquin kit fox — as well as pronghorn antelope and tule elk—still can call a small slice of once abundant valley grassland their home.

Templeton teachers reject contract

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:51 PST

By AnnMarie Cornejo -- Templeton teachers could strike as early as January over a current stalemate on salary negotiations.

On Tuesday the Templeton Teachers Association voted to reject a tentative contract agreement with the district.

The teachers union, comprised of 118 teachers, has been in negotiations with the district for more than a year.

PHOTO GALLERY: Luminaries meet in night sky

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:46 PST

Cal Poly freshman dies after fraternity event

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:36 PST

By By Nick Wilson and AnnMarie Cornejo -- An 18-year-old Cal Poly fraternity pledge died early Tuesday after a night gathering that may have involved alcohol, according to the San Luis Obispo Police Department.

Residents of the home of a Sigma Alpha Epsilon member called 911 at 6:24 a.m. after finding freshman Carson Starkey unresponsive. The students unsuccessfully attempted to administer CPR and emergency workers could not revive the student.

Starkey, of Austin, Texas, was transported to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, where he subsequently died. Authorities are investigating what role alcohol may have played in Starkey’s death. An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.

SoCo Beat: Sharpshooter plays for shoes

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:53 PST

By Nick Wilson -- Seventy-eight year-old Shell Beach resident Don Morris may be retired as a Cal Poly professor of education, but he’s just getting warmed up for his basketball career.

Morris competes in the 75-to 79-yearold age group in the Senior Olympics. In October, he earned a gold medal by sinking 92 percent of his free throws and 50 percent of his three-pointers at the World Games in St. George, Utah, where he played against more than 30 shooters in his age bracket.

Just days before that event, he won two shooting competitions in Las Vegas.

Smaller Mitchell Park lot gets tentative OK by SLO City Council

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:15 PST

By By Sally Connell -- The San Luis Obispo City Council, with two new members, dealt with the long controversial proposal to build a parking lot behind the Senior Center in downtown’s Mitchell Park by tentatively approving a smaller version of the lot at Tuesday night’s meeting.

The issue will come back before the council on Jan. 6, after staff works with the contractor to see if the current $194,000 bid can be adjusted downward in price to accommodate the smaller lot.

Members took the action after hearing from an impassioned group of environmentalists and neighbors who opposed the lot and seniors who have sought such a lot for many years. The city has considered building such a lot behind the Craftsman style bungalow where the seniors meet at the corner of Buchon and Santa Rosa streets off and on for 20 years.

Judge to remind jury of doctor’s right not to testify in Sierra Vista organ transplant case

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:16 PST

By By Leslie Parrilla -- The judge in a highly publicized organ transplant criminal case in San Luis Obispo said Tuesday he will remind jurors of the defendant’s right not to testify and that not taking the stand is not admitting guilt, after the defense alleged misconduct by the prosecution.

Defense attorney M. Gerald Schwartzbach accused deputy district attorney Karen Gray of prosecutorial misconduct when she objected last week to his client speaking in court. Schwartzbach was attempting to show jurors that surgeon Hootan Roozrokh did not speak with a foreign accent, contrary to witness testimony. Schwartzbach wanted his client to be allowed to speak a single sentence so jurors could hear for themselves whether he had a foreign accent.

Gray objected, based on whether Roozrokh would testify in court. She explained later that she thought the jury would be able to hear him speak, if he decided to take the stand.

SLO County Roundup

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:16 PST

Harmony

A $1.23 million project to reduce the risk of collisions on Highway 1 at Harmony is nearly complete.

Southbound motorists turning left into the tiny hamlet about 5 miles south of Cambria can make use of a newly installed turn lane, while through traffic can whiz by in its own lane. Drivers leaving Harmony and turning south can take advantage of a new acceleration lane.

State gives high honor to Cayucos Land Conservancy

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:17 PST

By David Sneed -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has honored The Cayucos Land Conservancy for the environmental and economic partnerships it has formed.

The conservancy was one of 21 groups to receive the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award last month. The state considers the award to be its highest and most prestigious environmental honor.

The award cited the group’s work with California State Parks and other organizations and landowners to conserve land in the Cayucos area. It is an all-volunteer organization that relies on small donations and grants and is governed by a local board.

Transportation agency looks to head off rockslides on Highway 1

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:26 PST

By Kevin Howe -- Highway 1 on the Big Sur Coast is braced for the winter storm season — literally.

Last summer’s fires triggered a race against the clock by the state Department of Transportation to avoid a repeat of massive slides that inundated parts of Big Sur Village and closed the two-lane highway after the Marble Cone Fire in 1972.

That fire was followed by heavy rains that began Nov. 15, 1972, said Caltrans senior engineering geologist John Duffy. So "we set that as a deadline on our contractors."

Investors meet to discuss lawsuit against Kelly Gearhart and Cuesta Title

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:51 PST

By Melanie Cleveland -- About 100 Hurst Financial investors met with an attorney behind closed doors Monday to discuss a possible lawsuit against developer Kelly Gearhart and Cuesta Title Co. for their part in a now-failed $27 million commercial project in Paso Robles.

Before the meeting, investors told The Tribune that the gathering was set to discuss pursuing claims against Gearhart’s Vista del Hombre project.

For several years, Gearhart had proposed a 150,000-square-foot business park at 5151 Jardine Road, adjacent to his Links golf course, and used Hurst Financial investors to foot much, if not all, of the bill, according to deeds recorded with the county. Hurst Financial, a real estate lender based in Atascadero, surrendered its real estate license to the state after the state’s departments of real estate and corporations alleged fraudulent activity.

Atascadero developer Kelly Gearhart resurfaces in small Ohio town

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:50 PST

By Melanie Cleveland -- Facing mounting troubles —including defaults, civil lawsuits and a continuing investigation by state regulators that alleges fraudulent money dealings —Atascadero developer Kelly Gearhart last month seemed to vanish.

After closing his Atascadero office by last summer and losing his historic Atascadero home to MidCoast Mortgage in foreclosure in September, Gearhart stopped responding to phone calls or e-mails from The Tribune. He changed his mailing address to a post office box in Atascadero, his cell phone voicemail would not take any messages, and family members were not willing to say — or did not know — where he could be found.

It now appears that Gearhart has moved to a space on the top floor of an otherwise unoccupied building in a defunct water works factory, called the Conval Building, in Wadsworth, Ohio, city officials there confirmed Monday.

PHOTO GALLERY: Chasing shadows

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:35 PST

Tribune photographer David Middlecamp went to Cal Poly to capture images that reflect autumn's low light and long shadows.