Top 10 stories of 2016
Top stories for last year ranked by page views from readers
–The Paso Robles Daily News had nearly 2.4-million page views last year. Here are the top Paso Robles news stories for 2016 as ranked by page views from readers. Click on the story headlines to view the complete articles.
Firefighters spent weeks fighting the Chimney blaze. Photo by Cal Fire.
1) Chimney fire 100-percent contained
–As of Sept. 6, the Chimney Fire was 100-percent contained, Cal Fire reports. The fire scorched 46,4433 acres north west of Paso Robles. A total of 49 residences and 21 other structures were destroyed in the fire…
2) Police investigate apparent suicide of 12-year-old
–On Feb. 4, the Paso Robles Police Department received a 9-1-1 call reporting a medical emergency at a residence in the 1100 block of Linda Circle. Paso Robles Department of Emergency Services personnel and SLO Ambulance responded to the scene, along with police officers. They located a 12-year-old female who had apparently committed suicide. Lifesaving efforts were performed but the victim was unable to be resuscitated and she was pronounced deceased at the scene…
Pictured left is a shot from Google Maps in 2015, and on the right is a shot taken by Matt Trevison in his plane.
3) Justin Vineyards criticized for clear-cutting oaks
–In June, neighbors in the Willow Creek Road area in westside Paso Robles raised concerns over the removal of oak trees on property owned by Justin Vineyards and Winery. The company has clear-cut hundreds of oak trees, according to complaints. The site is planned to be used for an irrigation pond filled with well water and vineyards, according to documents from the San Luis Obispo County Planning Department…
4) Teen hospitalized after e-cig explodes in his face
–In April, Paso Robles emergency crews responded to a call on the 1900 block of Cottonwood. Upon arrival, they found 17-year-old Daniel McClelland with severe injuries after an e-cig blew up during use. He was transported to Twin Cities Community Hospital and later airlifted to Fresno Regional Medical Center for further treatment in its burn unit…
5) Update: Chef’s test results come back after bloody fingertip found in salad
–In January of last year, Cathleen Martin of Atascadero filed a claim to Applebee’s in Paso Robles for finding a bloody fingertip in her Chinese Chicken Salad on Dec. 20, according to her attorney, Eric Traut of Traut Law Firm in Santa Ana, Calif…
Photo by Trisha Butcher.
6) Local woman charged with manslaughter for fatal wrong-way collision
–Lauren A. Alderete, a 23-year-old woman from Paso Robles, was charged with manslaughter and other felony counts in connection with the deadly drunk driving crash that occurred in December…
7) Paso Robles man charged with committing sexual acts with children
–Jason Robert Porter, a 44-year-old man from Paso Robles, has been arrested on seven counts of lewd acts upon a child, five counts of sexual acts with a child under ten, one count of sexual exploitation of a child, one count of possession of child pornography, and nine counts of secretly recording victims, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office…
8) Local teen arrested for rape
–Paso Robles Police have arrested 18-year old Paso Robles resident Aaron Jacob Duran for rape that they say occurred in an open field during the night of Tuesday, July 26…
9) Two Paso Robles residents arrested on drug charges
–Officers from the Paso Robles Police Department have arrested Paso Robles residents 21-year-old Francisco Daniel Flores, and 18-year-old Rachel Lane Tomassi after a traffic stop resulted in a narcotics investigation yielding 30 Xanax pills, over 11 grams of cocaine, over 27 grams of MDMA, along with narcotics paraphernalia, money, and items used for selling controlled substances…
10) High school football coach put on administrative leave
–Rich Schimke, a football coach for Paso Robles High School, can be seen pouring a “body shot” of maple syrup into a player’s belly button during a post-game celebration in the locker room in a video obtained by the Paso Robles Daily News…
