ARCHIVES

ARCHIVES

In Brief: Fire damages mobile home

A residential fire Monday in Nipomo caused approximately $30,000 in damage.

However, the blaze in the 400 block of Uranus Court did not result in any injures, Cal Fire officials said.

The fire began at approximately 2:40 p.m. in a double-wide mobile home. A mother and her toddler son were home asleep at the time, and reported waking up to smoke, according to Cal Fire.

The pair escaped through a window from the home that did not have a smoke detector, according to reports.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Rider dies after dunes collision

An ATV rider died Sunday afternoon after he collided with a truck in the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area.

The accident occurred about 1:30 p.m. just west of the eucalyptus tree vegetation area, according to information from the ODSVRA.

The truck’s driver, Robert Peterson, 22, of San Luis Obispo was heading west and collided with the ATV, heading east, after his truck crested a steep dune, said Lt. Mike Lack, supervising state parks peace officer.

Killed in the collision was Michael Knodel, 24, a resident of Chowchilla, Lack said. Knodel was unresponsive when first responders arrived and was pronounced dead at the scene by a CalSTAR flight nurse, according to information released by the ODSVRA officials.

The SLO County coroner’s office is investigating the cause of Knodel’s death, Lack said.

Peterson was not injured in the crash, he said.

Drivers of both vehicles were using the safety equipment required on vehicles at the dunes and alcohol was not a factor in the accident, according to ODSVRA officials.

Sunday’s fatal accident is the fourth vehicle-related at the dunes this year.

Traffic committee to meet Thursday

The Nipomo Traffic and Circulation Committee will meet at 9 a.m. Thursday at the Nipomo Community Service District board room, 148 S. Wilson St.

The meeting is open to the public. For more information, call Dan Woodson at 929-3966.

Donations needed for Christmas food baskets

Christmas baskets again will be given out this year by the Five Cities Christian Women Emergency Food Ministry, and as in previous years, the organization needs help from the public.

South County residents are being asked to donate food to be distributed in the Five Cities and Nipomo areas.

Items needed for the baskets include frozen turkeys, canned cranberries and large cans of yams, vegetables, boxed dressing, cake mix and frosting, canned milk, large cans of pumpkin, large boxes of Jell-O, chicken broth, olives, boxed mashed potatoes and large cans of fruit.

Food donations may be delivered from 8:30 to 9 a.m. and from 2 to 4 p.m. at 912-B Ninth St., Grover Beach, across from Central Coast Baptist Church.

The group also needs monetary donations for food the organization buys. Monetary donations may be mailed to P.O. Box 756 , Grover Beach, CA 93483.

Needy families who would like to receive a basket must sign up in advance and must bring identification to the sign-ups, set for 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at Central Coast Baptist Church, Ninth Street and Rockaway.

Baskets will be distributed Monday, Dec. 22, at the United Methodist Church, 275 N. Halcyon Road, Arroyo Grande.

Call 481-2877 for details.

County stops issuing same-gender marriage licenses

The County Clerk-Recorder’s Office stopped issuing same-gender marriage licenses Nov. 7 and will no longer perform same-sex marriage ceremonies, according to Clerk-Recorder Julie Rodewald.

The change comes on the heels of the passage of Proposition 8 last week, which amends the state’s constitution overturning same-sex marriage.

Rodewald said her office won’t issue same-gender marriage licenses or perform same-sex marriage ceremonies unless she receives a written directive from a state agency stating otherwise, or if the vote on Prop. 8 changes when the Nov. 4 election is certified.