Cover Story
Weddings 2023: We talk bachelor party fun, get into the wedding favors debate, highlight a cottage cake baker, dig into annulments, and hop on a school bus
It’s always a beautiful day in one of the state’s most iconic destinations, and a wedding set in a vineyard or on the coast will never disappoint. While the location is a large part of planning a wedding, there are a lot of little things that can make or break the big day. For this…
Be very careful what you wish for when it comes to Diablo
Mark Henry (“Be careful what you wish for when it comes to Diablo,” Feb. 16,) urges New Times readers to consider the consequences of the closure of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant reactors by 2025, the date PG&E committed to in 2016. In his opinion those consequences would include an energy shortage and increased use…
Hoping to get out of a mistake marriage via annulment? Look before you leap
First, it should be patently obvious that nothing in this article should be considered legal advice. You already blew it by marrying the wrong person. Don’t compound it by taking as gospel something you read in a wedding issue of an alternative news weekly. Sheesh! OK, now that we’ve covered the obvious, here’s the bad…
Local governments should approve the Regional Compact on Homelessness
The League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County urges the county and incorporated cities to address housing and homelessness as a priority goal as they develop their work plans for the coming budget cycle. As part of this goal, we ask that they take part in developing and approving the Regional Compact on…
Santa Barbara County-based Jump On The School Bus offers a fleet of school buses for wedding transportation needs
Darin Fiechter and Sierra Falso were crushed when the couple lost their Santa Barbara restaurant in 2011, Fiechter said. “It was like losing a child; not that I’d ever had kids, but I could equate it to losing your favorite dog. This was our baby,” Fiechter said. “We were the faces of it, we were…
Ring of Fire at SLO Rep celebrates the life and legacy of Johnny Cash
Experience the celebration Enjoy a performance of Ring of Fire at SLO Repertory Theatre (located at 888 Morro St. San Luis Obispo) through March 12 with shows Wednesday through Saturday at 7 p.m. and additional shows on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. For more info, visit SLO Rep at slorep.org or on Instagram @sloreptheatre.…
SLO County’s search for missing boy calls for volunteers with heavy machinery
Community volunteer-operated heavy machinery is now part of the long-running and widespread search for 5-year-old Kyle Doan of San Miguel. “We finally got a letter from the governor’s office allowing us to bring heavy machinery into the [Salinas] riverbed, and we did have a property owner who also allowed us to bring the machinery down,”…
California’s end-of-life care options include legal assisted suicide
I second John Donegan’s belief that assisted suicide shouldn’t be prohibited by the spiritual concerns of others, or the state, for that matter (“Government intervention in end-of-life care is not a good thing,” Feb. 16). Fortunately, there are several legal ways in California to hasten one’s death. The California Legislature enacted the End of Life…
North County water district seeks seat on Paso Robles Basin Cooperative Committee
Five years after it was “sidelined” from discussions about the future of the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin, the Estrella-El Pomar-Creston (EPC) Water District is taking a second crack at joining the committee that’s implementing the policies and projects to balance the basin. On Feb. 8, the EPC Water District’s board of directors sent a formal…
Thanks, New Times and Sun, for keeping us informed!
I appreciate your continuing to deliver the New Times as well as the Santa Maria Sun and the Santa Ynez paper to the Village Market in Vandenberg Village. It is good to keep up with southern San Luis Obispo County activities. Once the new Village Inn reopens, please consider including them as well. I particularly…
Paso’s downtown parking rates are about to increase
People visiting downtown Paso Robles will soon pay $1 more an hour to park there, and some business owners are not happy about it. “These proposed changes are going to drive away our everyday customers, [and] lead to competition being built elsewhere—either outside the city, outside downtown, or in other cities, and our customers are…
Gallery at Marina Square highlights three artists in new solo shows
Starting on Wednesday, March 1, Gallery at Marina Square in Morro Bay will showcase diverse artworks in three new solo exhibitions. The trio of featured artists for the month of March at the venue will be oil painter Lubov Pavluk, acrylic painter Sandra Sanders, and jeweler Marjorie Zlotowitz. A joint reception will be held on…
OCSD changes bylaw for placing items on meeting agendas
A major change to the Oceano Community Services District’s bylaws had its district counsel concerned about a fate similar to the Ottoman Empire’s. “The reason we have five of you is for you to build a consensus, not to have one or two members put whatever on the agenda,” said OCSD District Counsel Chase Martin.…
You can call me ‘woke,’ but I prefer ‘wide awake’
As the 2024 election madness accelerates, it seems that the primary campaign tactic by right-wing Republican candidates is to smear Democrats as hopelessly “woke.” That word is now one of the most-searched terms in the English language: ” … historic use as a past-tense to ‘wake,’ but now a general pejorative for anyone appearing left-leaning.”…
Investigation into collision that killed SLO couple ‘nearing completion,’ police say
A prolonged police investigation into a car-on-pedestrian collision that killed a San Luis Obispo couple and their dog last November could finally be close to a resolution. SLO Police said that its investigation into the fatal Nov. 21 accident was “nearing completion” and to expect an update on “the charges being requested for filing on…
Drama-rama-ding-dong
Ever notice some people crave drama? Psychologists suggest the need may be a desired distraction from one’s own life, a familiar and hence weirdly comforting feeling, or an addictive release of anger chemicals such as adrenaline and cortisol. It’s also perhaps the car accident/train wreck looky-loo macabre entertainment factor. I mean, that’s why you’re reading…
Fish and Wildlife plans to capture and relocate SLO mountain lion
Neighborhood groups on Nextdoor and Facebook are abuzz with warnings, photos, and testimonials of mountain lion sightings around the Irish Hills, Laguna Lake, and the Prefumo Creek and Los Osos Valley Road areas. Sightings of the mountain lion started late last year, with one Laguna Lake resident witnessing a mountain lion chase her dog in…
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is visually glorious but simplistically plotted
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Glen? Streaming What’s it worth, Anna? Streaming Where’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, Park, Stadium 10, Sunset Drive-In Peyton Reed (Yes Man, The Mandalorian) directs this next superhero installment about Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne/Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), a sequel to…
Correction
• In the Feb. 16 story, “Community partners propose conservation plan for Diablo Canyon,” New Times misattributed a direct quote about the potential for a portion of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant property to be used to create a tech hub for clean energy. REACH President and CEO Melissa James spoke about the issue during…
Poker Face
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Peacock The concept is no stranger—a human lie detector uses her powers to right wrongs. I think of the show Lie to Me from 2009 about the guy who read and analyzed micro expressions. We don’t know where Charlie’s (Natasha Lyonne) gift comes from exactly—she just…
The Last of Us
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2023 Where’s it showing? HBO Max We’re now halfway through the first season of this video game-based zombie TV series, and if you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, what are you waiting for? This very compelling drama has continued to improve exponentially after the first two so-so episodes. By…
Best known for bachelorettes, SLO and Santa Barbara counties can also host memorable bachelor parties
The Central Coast is pretty well-established as a top destination for soon-to-be-brides to hold their bachelorette parties and enjoy some quality wine tasting. But what about bachelors? San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara counties offer plenty to make for an equally great bachelor party. Note: These activities by no means have to be gender…
The Bridge Café in SLO offers tasty fare, culinary training for formerly incarcerated individuals
Grab a bite, change a life Check out The Bridge Café at 1074 Higuera St. in downtown SLO. Hours are Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Follow the restaurant on Instagram and Facebook @thebridgecafeslo. For more information on the Culinary Arts Foundation Certificate of Specialization offered by Cuesta College and Restorative Partners,…
Keep your cash—skip the wedding favors
Wedding favors are something I’ve thought maybe a little too much about as someone who’s never been married and isn’t going to get married anytime soon. For years, my friends and I had a running joke for a take-home gift. I’d have a tattoo artist stationed next to the open bar at my hypothetical wedding…
Come to Diggin’ Deep, a Los Osos Benefit Relief Concert, Feb. 26, in the South Bay Community Center
If you weathered the January storms with minimal damage and disruption, consider yourself lucky. Many in hard-hit communities such as Los Osos are still trying to put their lives back together, which is why Los Osos residents Gary J. Freiberg and Paul Irving have put together Diggin’ Deep—Los Osos Benefit Relief Concert, scheduled for Sunday,…
Asian American groups, allies team up to raise awareness through T-shirts
San Luis Obispo’s historic Chinatown district is almost a misnomer now. A concrete strip of road between Chorro and Morro streets on Palm Street, it houses the Ah Louis Store, the Palm Theater, Mee Heng Low Noodle House, parking lots, and garages. “Chinatown in SLO is so small. We want to create a safe space…
SLO is mountain lion country, and we can coexist
Any report of wild animals attacking vulnerable pets in San Luis Obispo is understandably concerning. Recently, a woman walking her dog in San Luis Obispo had a scary up-close-and-personal encounter with a mountain lion. While mountain lion attacks on humans are uncommon, we can encounter these wild animals in San Luis Obispo from time to…
Cake Cathedral is a one-woman operation that helps wedding dreams come true
Dream it, order it Visit cakecathedral.com, contact Cake Cathedral at (805) 459-9572, or email cakecathedral@gmail.com to make those sweet wedding dreams come true. Editor’s note: Cake Cathedral owner Jenny Perello and Staff Writer Shwetha Sundarrajan are roommates. Cake Cathedral owner Jenny Perello puts countless hours into the cakes that take center stage at weddings up…
