Remembering Kristin Smart

We're getting lots of phone calls and emails regarding the segment last night with Dennis Mahon, updating us on the case of missing Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. It will be ten years in May since Kristin disappeared following an off-campus party. Her body was never recovered.

As Dennis reminded us last night, police have long considered fellow student Paul Flores to be the prime suspect, though he's not talking. Flores has made news again since he received yet another DUI last December -- that could be his fourth DUI. Dennis is hopeful that Flores' growing criminal record can be used as leverage against him to finally get him to open up and talk about what happened that night.

Cal Poly has certainly tried to move on; they don't mention Kristin Smart and a whole new generation of young women roam the campus today without ever having heard this cautionary tale. The police still consider it an open case, which prevents the Smarts from filing a civil suit against the Flores family. Thankfully, a Sacramento businessman has come forward and posted a $25,000 reward for information.

So what did happen to Kristin Smart that night? Will we ever know for sure? Will the Smart family have achieve closure on what must be such an agonizing issue?

The Dalidio Ranch

Well, I don't know how much money Vic Montgomery is charging the Dalidio family, but he seems to be worth every dime. If you caught Saturday's Trib, you've seen the drawings for the new "Dalidio Ranch" project splashed across A-1.

Montgomery has clearly resdesigned the project -- scaling down the commercial space, throwing in a couple organic farming fields, extending the Bob Jones Trail, adding space for housing and even a Farmers' Market. The name change is a nice touch.

But the killer move was the decision to make a pre-emptive strike and put the issue on the November ballot for the entire county to decide, something I've been advocating for months. I believe the people outside San Luis Obispo want this project and will vote for it overwhelmingly if given the chance. I think this ballot move has caught opponents off guard and they're stumbling to respond.

Of course, the one red flag is traffic. There's no Prado Road overpass being proposed this time. How on earth is all the traffic supposed to navigate Los Osos Valley Road and Madonna Road? I support the project, but I see traffic as being a nightmare for the local neighborhood.

We'll take up this issue Monday at 5:05 and see what you think.

Also, Kristin Smart investigator Dennis Mahon joins us Wednesday at 5:05 to update us on the investigation. Tune in. Call in.