San Luis Obispo

[UPDATED with Hearing Postponed:] Ivan Von Staich, Killer of Ex's Husband and Near-Killer of Her, Seeks Parole Again

See the update at the end of this post on the parole hearing being delayed. ORIGINAL POST, NOV. 27, 3:49 P.M.: He's baaaaaaack!Ivan Von Staich--who twice escaped from jail, threatened to kill a judge, nearly killed his ex-girlfriend by bludgeoning her with a claw hammer and fatally shot her new h ... More >>

Anaheim Gangsters Violated Rule 1 For Dummies During Violent Carjacking, Robbery

Two idiot, gun-toting Anaheim hoodlums with the Jeffrey Street criminal street gang carjacked a poor, working class family in February 2009 and then kidnapped them back to their home where they stole laundry quarters, computers, jewelry and $100 in cash from a wallet.Proving his brilliance, Humberto ... More >>

Diane Harkey, Dana Point Assemblywoman, Helps Kill Bill That Would've Banned Lobbyist Gifts of Tickets to Politicos

Wow, we haven't checked in on Dana Point-area Assemblywoman Diane Harkey in a couple of years--really, ever since former Weekling (and current Atlantic guy) Spencer Kornhaber took her down a couple of notches some years back. But when you're a self-professed small-government zealot who rails against ... More >>

Punk Band Dodge Dart Returns With Punk Fury and Prison Stories

In some ways, OC punk/pop band Dodge Dart has been around forever. And in others, they haven't. That's because the group has taken a few, shall we say, hiatuses, during its career. These lapses in activity aren't due to the usual inter-band fightings or the guitarist devoting himself to yoga. Nope, ... More >>

[UPDATED with Correct Coastkeeper:] Orange County Clean Beaches? App-solutely!

See update at the end of this post.ORIGINAL POST, JUNE 1, 6:34 A.M.: Heal the Bay's Beach Report Card unveiled last week showed 94 percent of Orange County beaches received A and B grades for water quality during dry weather last summer, while a still-respectable 87 percent got A's and B's in the ... More >>

Barack Obama and Orange County's Unfriendly Skies

Since Barack Obama will inevitably be venturing back into Southern California to revisit the Hollywood ATM machine during his presidential reelection bid, the military should just keep F-16 fighter jets in the air over Orange County full-time.For a second straight visit by The Chosen One, a small pl ... More >>

Alyssandra Nighswonger Cycles Onward and Upward

[Locals Only] Long Beach singer/songwriter will tour the West Coast . . . on a bicycle

Ivan Von Staich: Killer Loses Parole Battle But Wins the Ugliest Mugshot of the Week War

​The ugliest police mugshot of the week comes not from a cop shop or district attorney's office but the California Department of Corrections, which is charged with continuing the incarcerate Ivan Von Staich with the governor's reversal of the Lake Elsinore 56-year-old's parole.For reasons known on ... More >>

Obama Airspace Crashing Cessna Carrying 40 Pounds of Weed

​Note to marijuana smugglers: If you're going to haul 40 pounds of weed into Southern California in your private airplane, you might want to do that on the 364 other days of the year when President Barack Obama isn't using the same airspace. Apparently the San Luis Obispo man who went un ... More >>

What We Learned, Feb. 11-17

​A look back at the last week and the snark that came from it all.FEB. 11: Whitney Houston dies in Beverly Hills, and a shrine goes up in . . . Laguna Hills? It's at the home of Mike and Mahi Pasha now, but in 2006 the legendary singer rented the place to be closer to her drug counselor. What We L ... More >>

[UPDATED with Denials:] Luis Carlos Escobar, Fleeing Coke Parolee Who Killed Motorist, and Alberto Aguilera, Bar Fight Murderer, Seek Paroles Today

​UPDATE, NOV. 29, 5:50 P.M.: The Board of Parole Hearings, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation meeting at California State Prison in Corcoran denied parole today for Luis Carlos Escobar, 51, who murdered a motorist in a crash while fleeing from agents busting him in an underc ... More >>

Kurt Duncan Naegele, Accused of Fatal Crash Near Hearst Castle, Claims His Body was Switched

​A Newport Beach man who is accused of causing a fatal 2009 car crash on the Hearst Ranch airstrip in San Luis Obispo already won a mistrial earlier this month after his attorney to the stars offered a new defense theory: that the real driver switched places with passed-out defendant Kurt Duncan N ... More >>

Leticia Garcia, Fontana School Board Member, Hid Marriage to Gang Murderer of 2 Santa Ana Men

​A Fontana Unified School District trustee is embroiled in controversy over failing to disclose to voters, parents and school officials her secret marriage to a former Los Angeles gang member who was convicted of murdering two 21-year-old men in Santa Ana in 1984. Leticia Garcia said she decided i ... More >>

[UPDATED: Tentative Agreement Reached] UFCW Cancels Grocery Contract, Removes Final Barrier To Strike

UPDATE, SEPT. 19, 11:50 A.M.: After an lengthy session that extended well past the end of the union's declared cutoff time, negotiators have announced that they have reached a preliminary agreement with the grocery stores; it looks like the strike is off for now, pending a vote by the union members. ... More >>

Ivan Von Staich, Convicted Murderer Who Scored Win in Parole Bid, Has Menaced Courts for Years

​The state parole board Wednesday found suitable for parole a two-time jail escapee convicted of bludgeoning a former girlfriend with a claw hammer and fatally shooting her husband in 1983. District Attorney Tony Rackauckas opposed Ivan Von Staich's parole bid, but if the 55-year-old is ultimately ... More >>

[UPDATED with Conviction:] John Hines, Long Beach Fire Captain, Guilty of DUI Hit and Run of Cyclist

​UPDATE, SEPT. 6, 2:59 P.M.: Long Beach Fire Department Capt. John Hines pleaded guilty today to severely injuring a cyclist in a mid-day hit-and-run crash while driving with a blood alcohol level of .24 percent, three times the legal limit. The 38-year-old Huntington Beach resident accepted a co ... More >>

Tales From the Surf Ghetto

Meet the ragtag band of craftsmen, entrepreneurs and weirdos at the heart of OC's surf industry

Was James "Whitey" Bulger an Active Senior in Orange County Before His Capture?

​Before James "Whitey" Bulger was captured in Santa Monica Wednesday night, the 81-year-old South Boston mobster may have spent some of his 16 years on the run in Orange County.Before last night, the only FBI-acknowledged, California sightings of Bulger and his companion Catherine Greig, 60, were ... More >>

Stakes Raised in Re-Licensing San Onofre Nuke Plant

​The folks who run the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS)--and by "folks" I mean "Southern California Edison," or simply "SCE"--can't be happy with what's happening at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant up the coast near San Luis Obispo. Both plants were built in active earthquake zo ... More >>

Harry Shum: The 'Glee' Actor/Dancer Is On the Good Foot

The show's poppin'-and'-lockin' 'Other Asian' steps out of the shadows

French Quarter at U.C. Irvine Last Night

​ French Quarter, The Teeets, Hollow Sunshine & Kevin GreensponMay 23, 2011Cross Cultural Center, U.C. Irvine Fresh out of recording his latest record, French Quarter frontman Stephen Steinbrink returned to Irvine with a backing band and new set of songs, shifting gears from previous sol ... More >>

Five Ways French Quarter's Stephen Steinbrink Keeps Busy During the Recession

Stephen Steinbrink and his band French Quarter are frequent guests of Irvine's Acrobatics Everyday, and that's usually where they feel within their element. The singer-songwriter hails from South Phoenix, Arizona, where he eschews traditional venues in favor of basements, warehouses and living rooms ... More >>

Gregory Coates, Who Raped and Murdered Stepmother and Friend's Mom in 1975, Denied Parole

​Today, the district attorney offices of Orange and Riverside counties tag-teamed to help stop a 54-year-old man from being paroled for the rapes and murders of his stepmother and a friend's mother when he was 17. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Board of Parole Hearings ... More >>

Christopher Michael Sheehan, Accused of Killing Partner in Armed Robbery, Parole Opposed by DA

Ed Deuel​UPDATE, MAY 4, 4:21 P.M.: The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations' Board of Parole Hearings today denied parole for Christopher Michael Sheehan, who has been rotting in a San Luis Obispo cell for the 1985 murder of his partner in armed robbery and attempted murder of ... More >>

[UPDATED with Arraignment:] John Hines, Long Beach Fire Captain, Arrested for Felony Hit and Run

​UPDATE, MAY 3, 9:36 A.M.: Long Beach Fire Department Capt. John Hines turned himself in to an Orange County court this morning on a $250,000 arrest warrant and was to be arraigned immediately on felony drunken driving and hit-and-run charges that could keep him in state prison for nearly seven ye ... More >>

[UPDATED with Charges, Drunk-Ass Claims:] John Hines, Long Beach Fire Captain, Arrested for Felony Hit and Run

​UPDATE, APRIL 27, 10:08 A.M.: Long Beach Fire Department Capt. John Hines began drinking April Fools Day morning at Schooner or Later bar in Long Beach, became heavily intoxicated and early that afternoon climbed behind the wheel of his Chevy pick-up, swerved into a bicyclist who was thrown 70 fe ... More >>

San Onofre Nuke Plant Needs Inspection Now, Say Senators Boxer and Feinstein

​One of the terrible ironies of the unfolding nuclear crisis in Japan is that two of the reactors that are overheating weren't even turned on when the earthquake and tsunami occurred. What sparked their meltdowns weren't the reactors, which were cool, but rather the toxic waste being stored next t ... More >>

Taco Bell Crime of the Week: Drunk Teens and Elmo!

​A lot of bad crimes happened this week at Taco Bells: robberies, extortion, etc. Wish that I had more info than the following...

New Josh Freese Album to Be Released on April Fool's, Sends Out Best Press Release Ever

​Drummer Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails, DEVO, A Perfect Circle, the Vandals, etc.) made headlines last year with his ingenious marketing scheme promoting his solo record Since 1972. And now he's back for more: His next solo project, titled My New Friends, is set for an April 1 release date. Memora ... More >>

Election Monitor Named for People's Republic of Orange County

​An election monitor has been appointed for the People's Republic of Orange County. No, Jimmy Carter isn't coming Tuesday.  Assistant United States Attorney Dennis Mitchell, as he has done before, will serve as the District Election Officer for the Central District of California, which includ ... More >>

Prescription Drug Take Back Hauls in 2,700 Pounds of Meds in OC

​We previously reported Nadya Suleman hauled in $2,600 at her Saturday garage sale in La Habra.The same day, local law enforcement agencies collected prescription drugs voluntarily given up residents. If cops got a dollar for each pound of medicine they took in, they would have beat Octomom.

Reel Big Fish to Tour with Goldfinger and Aquabats!

​ The press release called the event an "all-out bash of the ska punk titans," and we'd have to agree. In a previous interview with OC Weekly, Reel Big Fish front man Aaron Barrett said they'd performed in Brazil with Goldfinger earlier this year; it was so much fun they decided to set out and do ... More >>

Isaac Robert Longo, the Face of Marijuana Manslaughter?

​Don't be surprised if Isaac Robert Longo becomes a poster child for the evils of driving while high by forces girding to defeat marijuana legalization in California this November.After all, the 33-year-old Placentia man smoked pot before causing a five-car pileup on the 55 freeway in November 200 ... More >>

Freeze, Punk! It's OC's Crime-y State Beaches

Crime scene​Four of the six most crime-infested state parks are in Orange County, and each is a state beach. Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area near Pismo Beach logged by far the highest number of crime calls in 2009 with nearly 6,000. Lake Perris State Recreation Area near Riverside ha ... More >>

What's a Little Marriage Fraud Between Amigos?

It's a felony, sure, but in the absence of real immigration reform, some young, assimilated illegal immigrants see it as their best path to citizenship

The Dirty Heads Officially Have a No.1 Hit On The Radio

​ The Dirty Heads announced their summer tour dates with Sublime with Rome, but because of logical deduction, we already knew that. What we didn't know is that they now (officially) have a No. 1 hit.

What If the Blue Note Bandit and Red Sharpie Bandit Had Joined Forces?

Top left: FBI; bottom left: LABankRobbers.org"Red Sharpie Bandit" (above) and "Blue Note Bandit" terrorize local banks.​It's a good thing the FBI believes it has captured the so-called "Red Sharpie Bandit."Who knows what kind of evil would have been wrought had he joined forces with a fellow bank ... More >>

The T-Plan Diet: Skip A Meal Today And Donate The Savings

​Started earlier this year by San Luis Obispo resident Tim Blair, the monthly "Twitter For Food" appeal is gaining momentum, thanks to the mega social networking site.Blair's request is simple: That we each skip a meal on the first of each month, and donate the cash we save to a worthy food-relate ... More >>

How the Brotherhood of Eternal Love Is Connected to the Weather Underground Via the Black Panthers

San Diego: Screw Trestles

San Diego has no business in San Diego County. At least, that's what their City Council seems to think. In our Best "Best of OC" Issue yet, Dave Wielenga eloquently described one of the major problems with the Save Trestles campaign: apathy. Surfers and the surf industry pay lip service to their be ... More >>

Not the Missionary Position

Some people visit California's old Spanish missions for spiritual reasons. Some visit just because the old places are beautiful. And then there's Alfred Thomas Steven of Huntington Beach. KSBY, the NBC affiliate in for Santa Barbara [added: and San Luis Obispo], reports: Santa Barbara County sher ... More >>

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE

Another Man Done Gone

Guitar string pioneer Ernie Ball, RIP

Sk8er Bois

Get a chance to howl at the Dogtown casting call

Numb at NAMM 2004

The Music Industry Descends on Anaheim and Gives it a Hickey

Diary of a Mad County

Diary of a Mad County

Namesnakes

Whos been sleeping in your Web domain?

Prescription for Disaster

If San Onofre is so safe, why are federal officials pushing anti-radiation pills on its neighbors?