Cover Story
Many people, one voice
It happens just once every two years. Professional singers from all over the world take the town by storm, their crystalline voices echoing in English, French, Indonesian, or Swahili. Their music is culled from church hymnals, African folklore, Michael Jackson, or Elton John. Some performers dance barefoot onto the Performing Arts Center stage, others file…
SLO passes two-year budget
The San Luis Obispo City Council passed a two-year $99.9 million budget at its June 21 meeting. The budget slashes capital project funding, relies on future significant employee union concessions, and eliminates more than 10 staff positions, mostly through retirements and leaving vacant positions empty. There are cuts in all departments, but the operating budget…
CLUBS
Goin’ South … BRANCH ST. DELI: 203 Each Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. Live music Fri. from 5:30-8:30pm. THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: 750 Mattie Road, Pismo Beach, 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music every Fri.-Sat., 6-9pm. Tennessee Jimmy Harrell, Doc Stoltey. GATHER WINE BAR: 122 E. Branch St.…
Are you drinking the stars?
There’s a long-held belief that the young Benedictine monk Dom Perignon invented Champagne. He did not, according to historian Serena Sutcliffe in her book, Champagne—the History and Character of the World’s Most Celebrated Wine. She wrote: “But he was the first to take full advantage of the natural effervescence of the local wine—he brought ‘champagne…
Morgan 2010 Pinot Gris Santa Lucia Highlands R & D Franscioni Vineyard
This complex white impressed me on a recent visit to Monterey, and I was quite pleased to find it available locally. Elegant and way too drinkable, this pretty white offers nectarine, melon, and citrus notes, with an impressive thread of minerality. The freshness was preserved by cold fermentation in stainless steel tanks, aged in French…
Vina Robles 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Huerhuero
This tasty Cabernet Sauvignon, estate grown, offers a bold red that’s classic in style. Bold and ripe, it’s pretty tannic at this stage, but will age nicely. Aromas and flavors of ripe blackberries, black cherry, and plums are nicely offset by red currant notes and a lingering spicy finish. It’s best with food while young…
Shotgun Willie!
I imagine when Willie calls on you to join his Country Throwdown Tour, you come running. On Saturday, June 25, Willie Nelson’s tour makes a stop at the historic Pozo Saloon, where you’ll hear not only Willie and Trigger, but also Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert, Craig Campbell, Lukas Nelson & Promise…
Last Friday keeps it real
“Last Friday isn’t your grandmother’s art walk,” says instigator and art supply purveyor Neal Breton. “There’s beer, there’s live music, there’s [even] doughnuts.” An art walk for people who don’t art walk, Last Friday debuted in March of this year. While inspired by Art After Dark, which takes place every first Friday, Last Friday isn’t…
Kristi Krutsinger
NEW TIMES: What is WHAR’s story? KRUTSINGER: We are a grassroots organization formed in 1999 in San Luis Obispo County. We are doing animal rescue for captive-born part-blood and full-blood wolves in the western states of the U.S. WHAR stands for Wolf Hybrid Adoption and Rescue. NEW TIMES: Your upcoming event is celebrating a…
Smell the roses–don’t pick them
My son has a garden plot in Emerson Community Garden at the corner of Pismo and Nipomo streets in San Luis Obispo. Emerson Community Garden was recently named the second-best community garden in San Luis Obispo County by the New Times Readers’ Poll. Well, it actually is the best community garden, because the poll’s winner…
Cougars & Mustangs
As recent Cal Poly graduates enter a discouraging job market, grind their way through summer internships, debate the option of grad school, and–eep!–move back in with the parents, a couple of Mustang baseball players hit the big time. Cal Poly right-handed pitcher Mason Radeke and outfielder Bobby Crocker signed professional baseball contracts this week—making them…
Nanny mission
Ashlee Leonardo has turned her passion into her profession. The University of Hawaii psychology and child development graduate recently started San Luis Nannies—a professional and affordable nanny placement service that matches unique family needs with qualified, prescreened nannies. “I noticed a lack of service and heard from a lot of parents that they were having…
Picture perfect
What’s your perfect weekend? Maybe it’s lounging on the couch in sweats and watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Maybe it’s playing 36 holes of golf with your cronies. Maybe it’s rummaging through garage sales, thrift shops, and antique stores. For me, the perfect weekend is filled with music, friends, and food. I got…
Bard day’s night
Remember when Matrix references were still funny? Back when we still had stuff like retirement savings and increasing property values and pre-flight boarding pat-downs that didn’t involve turning your head and coughing? Into such a world came The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged), a three-person play perfectly lampooning the world’s most famous playwright and…
Beautiful accidents
Salinas artist Janet Roberts and actor-turned-abstract-painter Billy Zane met by chance one day in Los Angeles, where Roberts had an art show. The two got along extraordinarily well: With the ease and simplicity of friendship usually enjoyed only by small children, they were painting together the next day. “We just really hit it off,” explained…
The NRC needs to look more into PG&E
The San Bruno gas leak and blast killed eight and destroyed an entire neighborhood (AP: “PG&E line that blew had prior leak,” June 9 ). Nine months later, PG&E located documents showing a prior gas leak only a few miles away, demonstrating that it was not only incompetent but criminally responsible for the destruction of…
Help De Vaul meet his obligations
This is an 11th hour appeal to San Luis County to hold off on the evictions of the sober living residents at Sunny Acres, and to proceed with the steps necessary for a permitted 8,000-square-foot house to be built on the De Vaul property. I realize that the rancorous relationship between the county and De…
Thank you for changing my view on life
Thank you for advertising the play Yours, Anne (Atascadero) several weeks ago. My three sons and I saw it. Wow! That is a play we will never forget! All of the actors did a fabulous job. Little Cassie Johnson, who played Anne, reminded us of Shirley Temple, with her adorable personality and incredible voice. In…
We must remember the past for a better tomorrow
I happened to see this musical, Yours, Anne, in question in the June 2 letters (“This ‘Holocaust’ presentation is infuriating and hurtful”). I believe the cast did a poignant job of portraying the frightening plight of the Jews during the Holocaust in this interpretation of Anne Frank’s diary. Bravo! I heard many comments from attendees…
Here are my three rules for prosperity
Regarding “Eliminate departments that harm civil liberties,” (June 9) by Mr. Arthur Cullati: This is the best six shooter that ever came off the fencepost with honesty and hell’s bells ringing! Mr. Arthur Cullati, America needs you in office right now! Thank you, New Times, so much for printing Mr. Cullati’s words of compassion for…
Who’s really the villain in health-care cuts?
I want to protest the cheap shot Mr. Hodin took at Jeff Hamm, the Health Agency director (June 16). The cartoon implies that Mr. Hamm is indifferent to cuts to health-care services to the poor, as if he, Mr. Hamm, decided how much money would be allocated to health services. The fact is that Mr.…
What difference does Frank’s sexuality make?
I see Otis Page is still flogging the dead horse of the Homosexual Agenda. There I was reading along about how the Democrats were damaged (“Democrats—and the nation—are damaged,” June 16) when the writer identified “homosexual Barney Frank.” Without even looking at the name of the author, I knew it was our old friend Otis.…
If if’s yellow, flush anyway!
So all this talk over the years about being good environmentalists and conserving water was just bunk, huh? As reported in New Times June 16 (“SLO to residents: Pay more for less water”), water rates are going up, in part, because residents are using less water. So excuse me while I go water my lawn…
Should we use more water for you, SLO?
It is foolish of the city to increase our water bills when our consumption of water has actually decreased (“SLO to residents: Pay more for less water”). Listen: We should only be penalized for consuming more water, not less. The city can’t have it both ways. Would they prefer that we increase our consumption, leading…
Fit to be recognized
Bill Grundler strapped on a 30-pound vest, then snapped a pair of 55-pound dumbbells off the floor and lifted them over his head, gritting his teeth. After 40 repetitions, sweat streaming down his face, the Shell Beach Fire Station captain rushed to the next excruciating exercise. When the gut-wrenching workout was complete, Grundler smiled and…
Words can hurt
On a gloomy Saturday morning, as the early crew lugged crates of oranges and other supplies to the kitchen at Cielo Cantina in downtown San Luis Obispo, about 40 people sat awkwardly waiting for someone to speak. “Joe”, a slender younger guy, opened with a joke. “You can vote on whether you want to hear…
Correction
In the June 15 cover story “A world all their own,” a CSD was mistakenly identified as being behind in turning over financial information. The two districts that have not turned financial audits in to the county for two years are San Miguel and Oceano. Cambria has been up to date in giving its information…
Car accidents claim seven lives
It’s the first week of summer and already June is gearing up to be one of the deadliest months for San Luis Obispo County drivers in recent memory. There have been seven fatal accidents in the county since June 4, and other significant accidents not highlighted in the media, according to a spokesman for California…
What’s your favorite fairy tale?
Tiffany Bailey student “Snow White. I love to show it to my niece.” Diana Gabriel consignment store owner “Pinocchio, because he can satisfy two women at once.” Aaron Winters sandwich artist “The Wizard of Oz. It’s not really a fairy tale, but it’s got the same feeling. Everybody’s on their different quests, but they come…
County to investigate Paavo Ogren
The San Luis Obispo County Administrative Office has been asked to investigate allegations of a conflict of interest stemming from an alleged relationship between Public Works Director Paavo Ogren and former Los Osos Community Services District board member Maria Kelly. On June 21, Supervisor Bruce Gibson asked the Administrative Office to review allegations made by…
EIR released for Huasna oil project
A draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) has officially detailed the impacts 12 potential oil wells would bring to the remote Huasna Valley. The report, released June 17, lists five potentially unavoidable environmental impacts that would result from the project. Headed by Excelaron, a local subsidiary of the Australian Oil Company, the project was first proposed…
Over the Hill–get it?
Anyone who has ever read this rag knows I’ve got my own beef with COLAB and Andy Caldwell. I thought hiring an Obama impersonator who paints his face was a dumb move. Andy and COLAB didn’t. They responded and said I was a jerk, or something more eloquent. Case closed. You won’t see our ankles…
