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MORRO BAY
Morro Bay’s boat-shaped building demolished
The boat-shaped building that Central Coast tourists found on the Embarcadero in Morro Bay has been demolished.
KSBY-TV reports the quirky structure that most recently housed a restaurant was torn down on Tuesday for redevelopment of the site.
The station says the local historical society wanted to save and relocate the building but structural problems ended that plan.
Society president Glenn Silloway says it was a piece of Americana that he regrets losing.
Local resident Johnnie Bandelian was on hand for the demolition. He says the boat building had been in Morro Bay as long as he could remember.
The building was originally a fish market. Some parts were saved, including a tongue-and-groove wooden ceiling.
SANTA BARBARA
Californians warned of post-wildfires winter flood risk
Authorities say Californians they are now at greater risk of flooding and debris flows during this winter's storms because of the many wildfires that have scorched vast areas of land.
Federal, state and local officials issued the warning Wednesday at a press conference in Santa Barbara, adjacent to Montecito where a January debris flow from the Thomas Fire burn scar devastated homes, killed 21 people and left two missing.
The state Department of Water Resources says more than 7 million California residents are at risk of flooding.
Experts say post-fire floods are a greater risk to homes downslope from scorched areas because the ground cannot absorb the water, which picks up ash, topsoil and debris as it flows downhill.
SAN JOSE
California diocese says it had no records of accused clergy
A Silicon Valley Catholic diocese says it did not disclose the names of clergy accused of sexual misconduct that cropped up in a new report because it did not know about them.
San Jose Bishop Patrick Mcgrath released the names of 15 clergy last week. But on Tuesday, a law firm named 18 others who had worked in the area.
The diocese said Wednesday that most of the additional priests were not assigned by the bishop of San Jose, so the diocese had no records on them. It says they were assigned by other orders.
Additionally, the diocese said allegations against several clergy who had San Jose diocese assignments were reported elsewhere and not shared.
Attorney Jeff Anderson is suing California bishops seeking complete records of clergy accused of misconduct.
SACRAMENTO
High-speed rail authority settles suit in Central Valley
California's high-speed rail authority has settled a lawsuit with a Central Valley city the train is expected to run through.
The Wednesday settlement with the small city of Shafter ends one of several lawsuits the authority faced over the plan to build a high-speed train between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Two lawsuits remain, with one scheduled for a court hearing Friday.
The city sued under the California Environmental Quality Act. It argued the authority's plans for the train would hinder its ability to do its own improvements on a freight line already running through town.
City Manager Scott Hurlbert says as part of the settlement the rail authority has agreed to help the city separate pedestrian traffic from the path of the freight train in seven locations.