Atascadero

With four weeks left until election day, over five million voters across the country have already cast their ballots. Some are voting by mail, while others are doing so in-person at early voting centers.

Jeffrey Jurgens stood in a cage in an orange jumpsuit, screaming that he was Jesus Christ. From her seat in the Sacramento courtroom, his mother watched through tears.

Joanna Jurgens knew how important it was for the district attorney prosecuting Jeffrey for stealing a car—and the judge deciding his fate—to see the extent of her son’s illness. But it was torture to watch.

The weekly Atascadero farmers’ market is permanently returning to downtown. It’s been 14 years since the 2003 San Simeon earthquake forced the market’s relocation, after the closure of the quake-damaged historic City Hall building.

After a four-year hiatus, momentum on the proposed Eagle Ranch project just south of Atascadero is once again picking up. On Thursday evening, March 30, the Atascadero city council and planning commission are holding a joint meeting to take public comment on the mega development project. 

180 people gathered Saturday to honor three inductees into San Luis Obispo County’s Women’s Wall of Fame, local women celebrated as impressive and effective county leaders. The annual awards are sponsored by the County Commission on the Status of Women and the South Bay Women's Network.

After ten years of negotiations, a lawsuit, public outcry and thousands of staff hours spent working out possible traffic logistics, Walmart has called it quits on building a new store in Atascadero in San Luis Obispo County. 

Caltrans has announced plans to reopen Highway 41 West at 5 p.m. on Saturday, February 11 after a month-long closure due to landslides. 

A large Central Coast ranch is now protected from development, thanks to a donation by a local family. 

NEW UPDATE: See updated story here

UPDATE: 5:47 p.m.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is just one of several agencies investigating a bomb threat at  San Gabriel Elementary School in Atascadero. The campus was shut down Friday morning and the surrounding neighborhood evacuated, according to police.

A new survey by the State Water Board shows the Santa Maria River is highly toxic—and has been for years with some of the highest readings in the state for certain chemicals.

Bryn Phillips is an environmental toxicology specialist with UC Davis who has been working on this ongoing project. He says an increase in pyrethroid pesticide levels is cause for concern.

Recently the river was designated with a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) restriction.

A lawsuit aimed at keeping a Walmart from being built in Atascadero was shot down Tuesday by California's Second District Court of Appeals in Ventura.

The Atascadero City Council had approved the project two years ago. However, members of a citizens group called Save Atascadero were concerned over the project's Environmental Impact Report.

Tom Comar, the group's spokesperson, says the group will not seek any further legal matters on the issue at this time.

UPDATE: Thurs., May 22, 2014 - 6:12 p.m.

The Atascadero Police Department confirmed on Thursday afternoon that 13-year-old Jeremiah Austin Valdez was located and would be reunited with his family. No other details were given at that time.

Original story: 

The Atascadero Police Department is looking for a missing 13-year-old boy who was last seen by his guardians on Monday.

Jeremiah Austin Valdez is considered "at risk" because of his age, and because he takes medication for depression, according to police.

Updated: 2/28/2014 at 1:32 p.m.

A former Cuesta College criminal justice instructor has been named as the interim police chief in King City, following the arrests of the police department's acting chief and several officers on bribery and embezzlement charges. 

Dennis Hegwood was appointed by City Manager Michael Powers to run the police department while a national search is conducted for the department's next police chief.