Editor’s note: This is another in a series of profiles looking ahead at the challenges facing the communities of San Luis Obispo County in 2009.

The Board of Supervisors has tentatively sliced by two-thirds a small businessman’s last-minute expansion fee, ruling that the unexpected levy not only came as a surprise to the applicant, but was unjustified.

With precious recruiting time ticking away, the Cal Poly football program was still without a head coach Wednesday.

The Atascadero High boys basketball team hit five of its seven 3-pointers in the first quarter of a 64-50 PAC 7 win at Arroyo Grande on Wednesday night.

For the first time in 30 years, the annual informational IRS filing required of most nonprofit groups, IRS Form 990, has been overhauled.

Starting this year, employees who regularly use their bicycles to get to and from work are eligible for a monthly $20 tax-free reimbursement from their employers for bicycle-related expenses. Employers will in turn be able to deduct the expense from their federal taxes, experts say.